Monstar vs Arranged Marriage
by Fortio Gracio
Summary: Star, daughter of Moon and Toffee, has finally found love with Marco, peace between Mewmans and Monsters, and she saved magic from insanity. But a single call from her parents derails everything. Will she escape the red tape, will the red tape swallow her up whole, or...?
1. A Monstar Engagement

A room full of scorch marks, a once simple spare bedroom was now covered in soot. A bed, once nice and pink was now wrecked into splinters, the mattress outright missing. A computer, lovingly bought by the guest's hosts had been completely annihilated, and a wall that once held a window, was now holding a large hole. On the only untouched surface, a mirror was displaying a woman with long blue hair, and wearing a loose blue nighty, and a humanoid lizard wearing a white sleeping shirt. The two were biding their time, watching, as a girl, a mix between the two, raged around, yelling about how stupid everyone and everything was. It had turned into mindless drivel a while ago, but they knew better than to interrupt. Finally, the girl, a fifteen year old in a pink nighty, fell to her knees, crying.

"Why?"

"We're sorry Star, but they helped us maintain peace and end the ostracization of monsters everywhere. And, the condition was a child of mine would marry one of the princes from her lands. And, she is calling it in now. If I don't agree it could cause huge ripples, and she's stubborn. I know you found a boy you like, but even if you were to lose your purity, it's decided." Star glared at the mirror.

"Mom, you sold me! You decided all this before I was even a twinkle in dad's eye! Now I have to marry someone I don't even know! This is horrible." Star lost her anger part way through, her head dropping low. Whoever this prince was he would almost certainly be like all the rest. He would find her disgusting, and abominable freak, and want her only for her throne. She felt sick at that.

"Well pumpkin, I'm working on other solutions, but for now, we need you to entertain him. You're wedding isn't for over a year so there is plenty of time to either see his true colors, or find a loophole. The best case would of course be genuine love, but we will do what we can for you. Your happiness is our highest priority."

"Then why was I sold like a cheap whore?"

"Star! That's not what happened and you know it! So don't you dare talk to your father like that."

"Now dear, she has every right to be upset. Let's give her time. This isn't easy news for anyone. However Star, we will require your presence tomorrow morning at ten sharp to meet this boy. You can bring Marco, but please, don't make a scene."

"Great. Get the news the night before."

"We didn't know before now either. But this is a boy who is apparently been smitten with you for a while, so be wary." Star simply tried to glare daggers at her parents, but she knew it wasn't entirely their fault. The otherside hadn't even held them to it until just recently. But she had only vague knowledge of the kingdom. The ancient Kingdom of Gond had been founded over a thousand years before the Butterfly Kingdom. They had assisted the Butterflies throughout their history, but an official alliance had never been created until twenty years prior when her parents convinced them to help overturn the entire ideology about monsters. The Queen agreed but the terms were never fully made public. Now Star knew why.

"I will daddy. I'll see you two tomorrow." The call ended and Star immediately let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay Marco, you can come out now." Almost immediately a latino boy with brown hair, red hoodie, and black slacks came tumbling out of her closet. He looked at Star sadly as the she stared at his feet.

"So, we can't start dating openly yet. Huh?" Star darted forward, crushing Marco in a loving hug.

"We will be together soon enough Marco. We just need this, 'prince' to dig himself a hole he can't recover from. Even if we have to soften the dirt." The two hugged as they made their way to Star's bed. As much as she would love to cement their love then and there to protect it, she had to remain pure. She couldn't risk this prince starting a war.

\--

The next morning came far too soon for Star's liking. She had enjoyed waking up next to Marco but she knew this would likely be the last time she could. At least for now. She had gotten Marco's help to get her hair just right as she had gotten up too late to actually get ready herself. Now she was awaiting a portal to join her parents in meeting this prince. Like clockwork, it opened before her and she took a deep breath. Out stepped her parents. The mood was decidedly somber.

"Mom. Dad. I don't blame you. You did what had to be done for monster kind. Right?" The two adults nodded slowly in unison. "Then you have nothing to apologize for. Hopefully this will all end, smoothly. And I can date who I want to. But until then, I will at least act like a proper, bride." Star took a deep breath as her father checked a watch.

"It's time my little one. Be strong." He gave her a look of support as did Moon before all present put on their political masks. This was royal business, and until they found a loophole, this was how things would be. Moon quickly took out her royal scissors and cut a portal, shimmering a dark blue with light green streaks in it. Without a word the four stepped inside and into another world.

On the other side they were met with the sight of a castle, situated in the middle of a rather large town. Marco immediately thought of a few castle towns from medieval fairs and festivals, while the Butterflys kept their composure. Marco quickly took in the sight, building a temporary map inside his head of the probable layout as they awaited their welcome. It was a large castle and the design seemed familiar enough, seven spires, one for each corner outside and three more centralized towers of varying heights. Marco didn't have long as it took all of thirty seconds for a well dressed man to grab their attention. He wore a pompous red outfit that matched Manfred's almost perfectly.

"Welcome to Castle Overture! I am Tallgeese and I will be your guide and assistant this fine day. Now, The Queen would love to meet you quickly, but does anyone need the facilities, a snack or a refreshment before we head to the throne room?" The four in near unison voiced their thanks and declined, the man continued to smile as he bowed. As you wish. Please follow me and we can get the formalities out of the way." Without a word they followed the man into the castle. It was cozy from the get go with plenty of torches, nice, blue curtains and carpets with silver trim, and as they approached two large doors. Two guards stood on either side, one was a crab monster, the other a Newman in heavy armor. Neither blinked as the group of five approached the door, Tallgeese turning at the last moment.

"Alright, here we are. I'll introduce you in and then we can get started." With that the door opened slightly for the man, closing after him. Not one of the four moved a muscle, standing just outside of the swing radius of the door as they heard the announcement. "Announcing Her Majesty, Queen Moon Butterfly, her husband, King Toffee Septarsis Butterfly, their daughter Princess Star Butterfly, and her knight Marco Ubaldo Diaz."

"Enter, please." The sweet, feminine voice echoed through the hall, surprising Marco. It was so soft you would swear it was a whisper yet it carried with authority from what was clearly much further away. As the door opened he was proven right. It was a good one hundred feet to the Queen who sat by herself, no king or prince to be seen at her side. They approached, stopping about ten feet out with the totals bowing and curtseying, and Marco saluting.

"Welcome Queen Moon, I am pleased to see you made it. I haven't seen you in person since the Silverlight Ball eight years ago. And King Toffee, always a pleasure to see you. Your help in communicating with the Relding clan was very appreciated. Princess Star, you've grown into quite the young woman. Now, my son will be here shortly, he was delayed by a rather, unfortunate accident involving a jester, a pie, and two hundred spidergoats. It was a nightmare." For the first time the four looked at each other confused, but decided against saying anything. Best to avoid problems so early on.

"Announcing his highness, Prince Torro." In that moment a young man entered the room. He was tall, but rotund man. He looked to be in his mid twenties and had a large pie in hand. He had deep red hair that was a mess of curls and he wore a deep green ensemble that looked far too casual. The Butterflys and their knight did all they could not to feel sickened and infuriated. Their thoughts racing harder on a strategy to get this man away from their princess.

"Mother, I-"

"Silence." Every sound and thought in the room vanished. The young man stared directly ahead, eyes wide in surprise. "I already told you what today was, and who it was for. You had your chance with Dutchess Reya's daughter and you ruined that because you didn't like her voice. What makes you think I'd let you try with Princess Star Butterfly? No, we " The Butterflys calmed a bit, thankful this was not the prince they were expecting.

"But, mother I am far mor-"

"You finish that sentence and I'll have you take the 'Vow of Brotherhood.'" The man looked at her, then in a shaky voice excused himself as he all but ran out. "My apologies. He's been given several chances at finding a wife and he simply refuses to accept them. Believed it was his destiny to marry your daughter, the poor fool. He was well aware his younger brother was the choice five years ago. Now, where is that boy?" As she said that one of the guards from the inside entrance spoke up.

"Word is he was intercepted by councilor Demograd about the reformed work law."

"Oh no, not again."

"He went to the hall to end the meeting and was spotted approaching the main gate just moments ago."

"Well at least that didn't take long this time. I know he was excited to meet you Princess Butterfly, and I assure you all he'll-"

"Announcing his 'highness' Prince Reign." The Queen looked coldly down at the announcer who suddenly realized his error. "I mean-"

"He may come in and you may find a new job. Be thankful I leave it at that." The announcer waited a moment before dejectedly leaving the room. A moment later the door opened and again the Butterflys looked to the figure who walked in. He was rather tall, easily a little over six feet tall, he had jet-black hair, flawless green eyes, a decent enough face, and a lithe, yet slightly muscular build. He wore a simple red suit with black trim and silver tassels. He walked calmly up to the throne, pausing to bow before the Butterflys. He smiled warmly at Star before turning back towards the throne, approaching the steps and kneeling.

"I apologize for the delay mother. I had to disband the council for the day, for reasons I know you are very well aware of." The Queen smiled softly at the boy.

"I understand and I am also aware. You are only a few minutes late, though I must recommend you take care of all duties a little earlier in the day." She continued smiling warmly as it appeared Reign wished to speak, but he held his tongue.

"You are too kind mother."

"Now rise my son, and let us meet your bride to be." He did and the Queen stood as well, walking towards him. He extended his hand and she willingly grasped it. The two came before the Butterflys and stopped. "Let us adjourn to a more, comfortable setting, shall we?" All present nodded and, without a word, the six left the throne room. They walled through the surprisingly straightforward paths and as the more astute Butterflys quickly gathered, they approached one of the inner towers. A shorter, fatter one, and as they reached their destination they entered what they all realized was their destination.

The room itself was taller than the hallway, about twenty-five feet tall, with four chandeliers hanging down off the dome snapped ceiling. The room was large and circular, about twenty foot in each direction from the center, and the floor was marble covered in a fine carpet. There was a medium sized table with seven chairs around it and three servants next to it. All six looked confused as one of the servants approached.

"My apologies your majesty, Princess Sharah-"

"I understand from there, you have nothing to apologize for. Now where is she?" Suddenly out from behind one of the servants popped out a small girl.

"Surprise! Happy Betrothal Day big brother!" The little girl surprised all four Butterflys, not because of her jumping out, but because of her appearance. She was a small girl, probably only nine or so years old. She wore a yellow sundress, and had her bright red hair in a bun, and had her long, black sash wrapped around herself like a belt. Looking into the bun it was clear she had something under it as well. They grew suspicious of what this girls intent was as the little girl spoke up again.

"Oh, we have guests. I thought your schedules were free for the day?" She looked disappointed as she looked the guests over, a strange sense of knowing floeing through her.

"Heh, look at you, all dolled up and ready to cheer your big brother on. But sweetie, there's no reason to hide yourself in front of the Butterflys, okay?" She looked past her brother and mother and realized who was there. She gasped in amazement as her tail broke free of it's sash like appearance, falling in a wild swing behind her. She quickly darted forward, stopped only by Reign putting his hands on her shoulders. The movement caused her hair to shift and reveal a pair of furry ears on top of her head.

"Oh my goodness. It's really her. Eeeeeekk!" She was excited, trying her best to rip herself away from Reign and towards Star. This completely threw them all off guard as Reign chuckled.

"Calm down Petunia. We don't need to crowd our guests when they've barely even arrived. Especially when someone shouldn't even be talking about the circumstances." He raised an eyebrow at the girl as her tail fell flat.

"I'm sorry big brother."

"All is forgiven from me, but there are others to apologize to, right?" The girl nodded sadly and faced the Butterflys.

"I'm sorry. I got super excited my brother was getting married, especially to the amazing Princess Star I've heard so much about and I didn't control my actions. Please forgive me." She curtailed and waited for a response. One that was quickly granted. By a girl who couldn't stand to see her sad.

"I forgive you little one. We all do." Star gave the girl a smile as her tail began to move again. "Now, since you've wanted to meet me after so long, if our hosts allow, would you like to sit next to me?" The girl perked up immediately, her tail hiking so high Star was worried it would break.

"Can I mom?!" The Queen tapped her chin, humming while looking away.

"I don't know. Did a certain someone clean up her room earlier?" The little girl began to nod vigorously.

"Uh huh! Cleaned it all up myself! Though, I did get advice on how to clean the walls from Mr. Bigs." The Queen hummed again, a devilish smirk on her face as she looked away.

"Well… okay then!"

"Yay!" The little girl grabbed Reigns hand and dragged him over to Star. She offered her hand and Star took it. The ball of energy then carefully guided them to the table and sat down, making the two she had dragged around sit down with her. The sight had melted most of the tension in the room for the moment at the sheer adorableness of her actions.

"Well, I see yours is just as much a bundle of energy at that age as mine was."

"Oh yes Moon, she's a wonderful delight with all that energy. I'm just glad I had a helping hand in her responsible brother over there." The Queens and Toffee made their way to the table, the Queen sitting next to her son, Moon next to her, and Toffee next to his wife. Marco soon took the empty seat next to Star and Toffee after being waved over by them. "Now then. Tea anyone?"

\--

The playful attitude lasted for over two hours as little by little the borders between people eroded. All but the barrier between Reign, Marco, and Star. The three, though not silent, were clearly the minor talking party, and not from Reign's lack of trying. He had been gauging Both of them, trying to get them to open up but to no avail. Even his little sister couldn't get a real response out of her, but she could talk enough for all of them any day. But soon, even friendly chats have to get serious eventually.

"So, your majesty-"

"Please, in this room call me Babs. Outside you must call me Queen Babs, and in my throne room Queen Babsibaraie, but here, just 'Babs' is fine good Sir Knight."

"Um, okay, Babs. But, I thought we were here to discuss, your son's courtship to Star. The room went dead silent. The energy from just moments before had vanished completely. Even Petunia had stopped eating a slice of lemon cake mid bite at his words. She slowly resumed as the room got prepared for a conversation no one was truly ready for.

"I suppose we are Sir Knight."

"Marco is fine ma'am."

"Marco then. I can assume the four of you were less than ecstatic about the sudden decision to enforce our agreement during the Reformation War. But unfortunately my hands were not free enough to prevent it. The issue comes in documents that prove it were made public by an unknown individual. As of now I only have two unwed sons, and unfortunately, you've already met both today." Star failed to suppress her shiver, something noticed by all. "Indeed. He's otherwise a good child, spending most of his time helping us see logical flaws, but women are his biggest weakness. Reign, however, has been a proponent of Monster's Rights for the better part of a decade and he has worked tirelessly without knowing about the pact until a week ago when everything went public.

From there we took action to try and discredit the claims but when the majority of the nobility started pushing with the people's support for a betrothal to happen immediately, combined with the legitimacy of the documents, we were forced to come to a hasty decision. And well, here we are."

"So this leak is the only reason this wedding is taking place?"

" Unfortunately that is correct Moon."

"Why didn't you simply state the documents were fake."

"Because of Lady Etheria vouching for the legitimacy with documents from your side."

"What! That scoundrel! She must be plotting something."

"Yes, we may be able to disrupt this whole thing just based on that."

"Maybe, but until such a time, officially, my son must marry your daughter. This is, unquestionable and rather immutable, but there is an upside. At this time, Reign is last in line for the throne for the family, as such, there is little chance that she can gain much power here."

"That is comforting, but we must tread carefully. One wrong move and catastrophe could occur. Especially with the recent return of Eclipsa and Globgor to positions of power."

"Yes, I'm surprised you were able to save Mina by using the realm of magic to summon Queen Solaria to remove the enchantment. Rather clever."

"Well, it was my daughter's idea. I'm still surprised it worked to be honest. We almost didn't have the time if it weren't for Marco here." At that, Reign picked up, a large smile on his face.

"You are the talk of every squire and knight for your actions that day. To go on equal terms with Mina Loveberry at her strongest was certainly a feat! I know plenty who want to meet you and see the legend in action. I mean, you flipped a horse!" Marco smiled smugly, the flattery doing his ego wonders.

"Yeah, I flipped a horse. And I'm really that famous? Maybe I should show off a bit of my skill then." At that, Babs quickly cut off everyone else.

"How about now? The knights who are scheduled to train today should be in combat practice for a few more hours. And I'm sure you young ones must be eager to get out and move."

"Not to mention having them seen together helps solidify the story that they'll marry while we research and discuss, counter measures."

"Read it like a book. Now come go on children. Petunia needs to get to her lessons and you three could use a break from all this." The three nodded as the lesson bound girl grumbled slightly. The four of them stood up and walked out, Petunia practically dancing around Star the entire way. The three adults looked on until the children didappeared beyond the door.

"She's adorable. And both her and her brother seem to, idolize my little Monstar. Is there a particular reason?" Babs smiled at Toffee, a warm, motherly smile as her memories fell back to that day.

"Oh yes. Petunia is interested because of Reign, and Reign's story is a little long." Her smile dropped as she thought back, but Moon was a little too curious to let it go. At least for now.

"We've got time, don't we?" Babs smiled again. And soon, she was talking up a storm again.

\--

Outside the castle*

"So, where are we headed exactly?"

"We are headed to the arena. Combat training is held there as it is used as a storage depot for extra medical supplies for the nearby hospitals. If anything happens, no one is likely to get hurt badly."

"Makes sense. So do you think they'll know me?"

"Probably not by sight. Most only have heard legends, and you're currently in armor. But be prepared for lots of questions. After your story of the lowly boy who became one of the greatest warriors in history, serving the Butterfly Royal Family directly, you're a very, very popular man here." Marco was practically aglow while Star chuckled at him. As they approached a large, circular, concrete building Reign stopped and became stoic. "But quick question, how long have you two been a couple?" They stopped in their tracks, their jovial nature forgotten as suddenly Marco realized the trap.

"I apologize for the forwardness. But it's not hard to notice your feelings towards one another." He sighed, walking a little further ahead of them. "Look, just, tone it down in public. I don't want to get in the way but if people get the right idea, we may face an uprising calling for Marco's head. And, I'd like to avoid that." He continued walking ahead, taking a deep breath as he walked far enough ahead that he disappeared into one of the tunnels.

"Marco. I'm scared." Star was shaking but both knew they couldn't comfort each other right now.

"It'll be okay Star. I promise you." With that, they moved forward, quickly finding Reign sitting just inside.

"Again, I'm sorry I brought it up, but until this is resolved, we have to play our roles." His dejected voice was found as odd by both Star and Marco, but now was not the time to press such an issue.

"For now, Marco, let's meet some adoring fans. Shall we?" Marco took a moment to collect his thoughts and nodded. Reign returned the nod and led the three of them to the field. It was seconds before forty troops fell in line, leaving their current training regiments to show respect to them. An older gentleman in a fine, green outfit stood before them in moments. A thin, but long mustache on his thin, but we'll defined face making quite the impression.

"Greetings Commander." Behind him the soldiers responded quickly.

"Hail, Commander." Reign put his hand up over his heart, saluting the troops.

"Be at ease. I have brought guests today. Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni and Marco Diaz of Earth." As Star's name rolled off his tongue the troops had already started to stare at the young man with their prince. When his name was said the troops barely managed to hold themselves back. "I did say be at ease soldiers. I'm relatively sure he doesn't bite." In moments the soldiers closed the distance and surrounded the young man. Questions coming in droves as he struggled to get even a word in. Soon the mass organized and introductions began to flow. At this, the finely dressed gentleman addressed Reign.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting such an appearance, but if he's as good a soldier as hr is at organizing people, I can see why the Princess's family has taken him as a knight. Now, did you need me or…?"

"Not really General, though I would like to introduce you properly to Princess Star. Star, this is the council's Master of War, General Forden." The general bowed deeply.

"A pleasure your highness."

"Thank you. It is a pleasure."

"Likewise. Now I do apologize, but I must get back to the troops. Can't let them get too rough with the young hero now." He chuckled slightly as he walked away, leaving Star and Reign alone. They stayed there for a bit as they watched on, but when it became clear that Marco wanted to show off, they took a seat, just far enough away to get out of speaking distance.

"Marco and I are not dating."

"No need to lie to me princess. We just need to play this up until we're out of this mess." Star narrowed her vision at the boy. While she was pleased he wasn't going to abuse things, that tone sounded like she was a chore.

"Do you take the same tone with your sister?"

"This has nothing to do with your family history. I just hate that this has to be a show."

"... What do you mean?"

"This whole, courtship. I've adored you for a long time and truth be told until the legend of Marco, I practically begged my mother to forgive your family just to have a chance to see you again."

"Forgive my family?"

"Just, please. Let's drop it. It will all be mute when you don't have to pretend to like me anyhow." Star wanted to pry deeper, but her recent experiences showed her that sometimes, patience got better answers than rushing head first into a problem.

"Okay then. We will drop it. For now." Star turned towards the field to see most of the soldiers had taken up a circle around the general and Marco. The two were fighting with wooden swords and it was clear that the two were roughly equal in skill, but Marco appeared to be on the defensive. His every attempt to attack parried and brought back to him but Marco, using his youth, easily found loopholes in his opponent's attacks, allowing him to eventually try again. The two watched on for a while before Star decided to get to the act, and find out more about Reign.

"So, you work with the council on Monster Rights?"

"Oh yes. I was an advocate since as long as I can remember, but after an incident a few years ago I became by far the most spoken royal about them. I have worked tirelessly trying to ensure that no matter what, a monster, or half-monster, will receive equal treatment, at least from the paperwork end, and making it so that soon, there will be no legal difference between anyone based on their appearance or heritage."

"What happened to make you so outspoken on such a goal?"

"... I guess I shouldn't have expected you to remember." The comment was barely even a whisper, but Star was focusing very hard on him, trying to find where his lie was, if there was even a shred of truth.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. But several years ago an assassin was out to kill half-monster royals and when he found my baby sister he decided to kill her and the half-monster girl holding her. I got in his way and nearly died as a result. But both the girl and my sister were unharmed as I created enough commotion to draw attention to the assassin. I was on thin ice physically for two months, and mom didn't let me do hardly anything for another three. After that I redoubled my efforts and was able to win over some key council members on a vote about monster citizenship. From there I've mainly done minor things, with this law being my magnum opus."

"What does the law do?"

"It prevents discrimination of workers in general fields, such as farmers, knights, or merchants, while allowing for the fact that some tasks require some prejudice, or greatly benefit from them." Star slightly glared at the boy. "Things like how monsters without hands probably shouldn't be surgeons, or how monsters that can breath underwater could be good for those kinds of jobs." Star immediately lost her considering attitude. It did make sense after all. "Now a question about you. How did you save magic and defeat Mina Loveberry?"

"Oh, well Marco, mom, Eclipsa, Eclipsa's daughter, Meteora, Tom Lucitor, and myself all teamed up, and invaded the realm of magic. At first the plan was to destroy magic, which did start, but the magic started to recover somehow. Mina traveled into the realm after us and discovered us trying to destroy magic and began to fight us. During this corrupted guardians of magic began attacking all of us. Marco and Tom teamed up and fought Mina, eventually using the corrupted guardians to their advantage. That was when Marco flipped a horse onto her, leading to them fighting. Mina won and charged again.

Marco instructed Tom to help us as there were suddenly a bunch of smaller guardians around us. Tom did, using his powers to keep us very safe and Marco fought Mina. I'm not sure how long the fight was but we ended it when we started to mess up the chant. We began a new chant and that sort of, reset magic to an earlier state. I still wanted to destroy magic, but we failed. Apparently magic is a lot weaker now for general use though."

"Huh, guess that also explains why our abilities are weaker."

"Abilities?"

"Yes, almost as iconic as the Butterfly family magic or cheekmarks, every trueblooded royal has an ability that awakens when we are between six and fifteen years old. Most of them are public knowledge, like big sis who's ability is 'Analyze'. It allows her to grab every possible detail about whatever it is she wishes to analyze. Every ability has a downside as well, hers being that it takes time and concentration to use hers, and it's based on her knowledge of what she's analyzing."

"Huh, that's pretty cool. What's yours?" Reign looked around, and after a moment answered Star.

"Sorry, mine is one of those abilities we keep hidden. It's a risk to everyone if it becomes known. If the wedding does get close, I'll tell you then. But for now, I have to leave mine a mystery." Star nodded, feeling suspicious about why he would hide his ability, but she decided to press on with her questions.

"Well, I just answered your question, so now it's my turn to ask. What do you really think of me?" Reign went to answer as a loud roar came from the arena. Placing their attention back on it, they saw Marco, breathing heavily with a wooden sword pointed at his gut. He had lost in a battle of attrition.

"Wait, how did Marco run out of stamina first?"

"Oh, that's easy, the General pretends he is running out of stamina to trick people into trying to outlast him. He's really quite strong in stamina alone. Marco would have been better off going risky over going safe."

"Heh. Silly safe kid." Star stood up, ready to go comfort her knight, and Reign stood up beside her.

"To answer your question, you're my heroine." With that, Reign walked forward and towards the crowd, congratulating Marco on a battle well fought as Star became completely puzzled. How was she the hero of this mewman prince? Deciding to keep that question in stock, she walked forward, doing her best not to simply hold and kiss her true lover in front of the soldiers.

"Well done Marco. You fought hard. I haven't seen anyone give the General a hard time since my eldest brother dueled him four years ago."

"Haha! Crown Prince Gorpa was a tough battle indeed. But you are correct young prince. Marco is a fine warrior. Given some more time I dare say he'll be the greatest I've ever met." Marco rubbed the back of his head as the soldiers mumbled around him.

"Thank you sir, but I'm not that amazing."

"Marco, the General only wears down stronger opponents. He's being genuine." Marco chuckled as he bowed respectfully towards the General. "Now then. Any further words or requests of Marco?" A few soldiers did have requests, many asking for signatures or even mirror phone pictures with him. After about fifteen minutes the trio walked out, and headed towards a new destination suggested by Star, the Monster District.

"So, why is it called the 'Monster District anyway?"

"Well Marco, officially it's the fourth residential district, however, it was in the middle of being rebuilt twenty years ago when Queen Moon began her journey to bring Monsters and Newman's together. In the end most of the available housing was in the fourth residential, so a large majority of monsters moved in there. After some time monsters moved to other districts as housing became available, but the name stuck even though now it's almost half mewman half monster."

"But it set the standard for living for monsters here for years, right?"

"Yes. It took about four years for it to really be identifiable as only a majority of monsters, instead of almost entirely monsters."

"I see. Star, do you have any questions?" Marco looked to Star, when she had originally suggested it she had meant it as a joke, and when Reign had confirmed it being a real thing, she went silent. She hadn't spoken up after saying they should go.

"No."

"Okay then. So, uh, Reign. When do we reach it?"

"Already there."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah. The 'Monster District' is very close to the castle and the training grounds. It works out well as many monsters joined up for the Knights after the war ended."

"So most of the residents are…?"

"Knights, squires and soldiers. The district itself is famous for two things, first is honestly wonderful mixing of the two cultures. Second, is the high number of half-monster kids." Star seemed to react to hia words as she began to look around. Soon she was seeing the truth of his words. There were many shops that held not only a mixture of hoods, but also of customers and staff. A surprising number of which were even of mixed blood. They journeyed for another twenty minutes, enjoying the appearance of hundreds of different shops, and meeting a few citizens who directly approached them for discussions. It soon became clear that Reign knew almost every citizen in the area. One that became more evident as they stopped at a particular little cafe.

"Why if it isn't little Rei? How ya doing kid?" Star and Marco locked eyes with a feminine Frog monster. Both blanched as they realized she was an almost exact look for Buff Frog, but less buff and curvier.

"Ms. Ampha! How have you been? I stop by every now and again but I heard you were taking care of some little ones."

"Oh bless your heart boy. Yes. I had a few eggs a few months back and they recently hatched!" Star fought hard to resist the urge to gush over them. To her surprise, Reign did not.

"*Gasp* Babies! Oh can I see them? I hear little ones are so cute!" Ampha smiled as she waved him back. As he disappeared into the cafe, and shortly into the back, the lady turned back to Star and Marco.

"How bout you two. Wanna see some frog babies?" Star couldn't hide it anymore and smiled.

"I love little frog babies. Their so cute and squishy. We helped baby sit some once!" The lady laughed at the girl's enthusiasm as she caught the last little bit.

"You've taken care of frog babies before? Small multiverse. Now come on. They are going to eat lunch and take a nap soon." The two remaining teens giggled and rushed inside, Ampha. What they saw was amazing. Reign was on a dusty floor, with eleven young frog babies in various positions around him as he read a story. All eleven had their eyes glued as he seemed to enjoy himself, even as his outift was clearly being ruined.

"And then the big, bad mewman said, 'I dare anyone to stop me!'" He pulled a small tab to reveal the book to be a pop-up book. Causing an angry looking mewman to pop up off the page. All the frog babies moved back into the boy a bit as he continued.

"Then a young mewman and monster, both finding their courage, stood up to the bad man. 'We will not let you do this! This is our home, and it's not complete without eachother!' The bad man laughed and hefted his mighty axe, but the two were ready. They dodged his attack and began to fight him, slowly pushing him back into a corner. The bad man soon gave up his strategy and tried to attack them directly, but the two worked in conjunction to knock the bad man down and knock him out. Thus, did they end the great war. The end… Wow, I forgot how lazy an ending that book had. But did you enjoy the story little ones?" The small blobs opened their mouths and gave approving sounds. Star couldn't help herself and began to coo over the cute little babies.

"Hello there cuties." Thr balls stopped in their joyous sounds as they took in the sight of Star and her sharp fangs and claws. She became worried, but after a moment they continued being giggling masses, feeling no danger from the girl. She carefully scooped a pair up and began to dote on them as Marco did the same.

"My goodness. Never expected to invite in some guests and watch them give my kids as much lovin' as me! Maybe you'd all like to stay for lunch?"

"My treat!" Reign shouted. Not even looking at Ampha. "And I'm not taking no for an answer. These babies need good food to grow up big and strong and having good ingredients makes it better. So I'm paying." Ampha laughed again as she disappeared into another room, one tadpole following her.

"You seem to enjoy their presence Reign."

"I've always enjoyed little ones. They don't judge you on anything but how your presence feels. If you feel friendly, they're friendly." He smiled as one of the tadpoles started to shove another book his way. "I'd love to little ones, but we don't want to be in the middle of a story when your mama finishes lunch. I won't be able to finish the story for a little and I don't want to leave you hanging." The babies seemed saddened, but quickly changed back to happy as Reign grabbed a nearby toy and started playing with them. Star and Marco stared on, now very curious about the prince in front of them. They decided to shelve such thoughts though as they noticed some of the babies eyeing them curiously. They lost track of time, playing, eating, and joking, finally leaving around three in the afternoon, heading towards the center of town.

"Well, that was exciting. Haven't had a chance to be with tadpole frog monsters since Buff Frog's kids."

"Oh? You've had experience then? That's awesome. They're really precious but as you're probably aware, they aren't babies for long. I'm happy we were able to meet them before we part ways for a time." Reign turned around and motioned towards a knight in white armor. The knight approached and saluted. "Sir Stalwart. I need you to take our royal guests back to the palace. I have a councillor meeting to finish and I doubt either of my guests would like to attend a boring meeting."

"As you wish milord. If you'll just foll-"

"I'll see this meeting." Reign looked at Star shocked as she continued. "I would like to see the, political side of you." Reign paused as Marco raised an eyebrow, lowering it when Star not-so-innocently stepped on his foot.

"I see, in that case, please escort us to the Meeting Hall."

"As you wish milord." Without further word they began to walk. It was a straightforward path and Star quickly grew bored. As her mind wondered she began to realize something, Reign was very familiar, not just with the staff in the castle, but with everyone in the city. Even this guard, encased in heavy armor, was instantly identified. She pondered this as she quickly began to take notice of something else, people's reactions.

In the castle, everyone had been properly respectful, but only a small few seemed genuine. In the 'Monster District' most ignored his presence while a few actively warmly welcomed him. But right now, walking through a market district, she could see overly familiar eyes. Full of spite and wrath. A few clerks even began to openly brandish weapons. But they weren't aimed at her, every one was aimed at Reign. He walked on calmly, not at all even acknowledging them, a complete change from the last few hours where he had greeted almost everyone. It was a tense four minutes as they exited the district and began walking through a strange, combination district. There were several houses in close proximity to a large dome with steps leading down. Closer inspection revealed the houses to have no doors. Her questions were answered as they began to take the stairs, and everyone took a deep breath.

"Sorry about that. I'm, not very popular around the market district. Welcome to the Council Meeting Chamber, or CMC for short. Here, most of the historic changes to our country occur. As such, to allow for as much time as possible, accommodations with direct access to this chamber are set up so that counselors can freely debate for hours then find sleep in a matter of minutes. And today I have one matter to conclude. As you requested, you may sit in, but you may not vote, and you may refuse to say anything if you so wish. However, I will not tolerate too many disruptions. I have to do my 'job' correctly."

"You're the Royal in charge of Monster associated laws, correct?"

"Yes. All royal children have one section where we are given power over to get us used to political work. My mother and eldest brother have the widest ranges of knowledge since they are Queen and heir apparent. Elder Princess Aria has a duty over entertainment, Brother Torro has a duty over Medical treatments and medicine, and little sis hasn't decided yet."

"Huh, that's actually pretty nifty. The Queen gets more time away from the Council and you get to explode on the political scene. But, where are the councilors?"

"They will be here shortly Marco. They went to sleep after an incident last night forced their hands. Then a crafty one decided to try and spring up a monster related law to try and pass it through. It was stopped cold when I arrived and declared the meeting temporarily adjourned for my meeting with you. All that after, an unfortunate incident in town." Suddenly, Star and Marco had the feeling there was more to this than meets the eye. But before a protest could commence a murmuring could be heard in one of the doorways.

"Sounds like time. Please place one hand in the air before me, traditional stuff to preserve the meeting." Both Star and Marco hesitantly raise their hands. "Do you swear to hold this meeting and it's conversations sacred and to withhold from all besides the Royal family the details therein?" They both nodded. "Cool. Feel free to take seats up here or down with me. There are only twenty councilors for this meeting and there are over a hundred seats. Now of you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." He bowed as be rushed off, Marco beginning to take some mental notes.

As he said, about twenty well dressed men and women came into the room and sat in the closest row, barely touching the second. Star and Marco took seats on the fourth row, and immediately a cry of objection rang through.

"What are these two doing here? This is a closed door meeting!"

"Lady Zel'tah, those are Princess Star and Sir Marco. They have a right to be here, oath has been taken and everything."

"... Objection withdrawn."

"Thank you. Now. If everyone is ready I'd-"

"Sorry I'm late." Everyone looked back to see a really dressed man in red attire. He had a full beard but was otherwise cleanly shaved. He had red, straight hair and deep blue eyes. His body was strong and slightly tanned. He smiled softly as he walked down the aisle towards the podium behind which Reign sat.

"Gorbin! I thought you were on a peace mission with father to the Western Tribes?"

"Dearest brother we returned not moments ago. I heard you were in a meeting and wanted to help you out. Especially with how important today is for you." Reign smiled slightly, but Star immediately picked up on a small amount of worry. She watched as the man walked on by and sat down next to his brother. "Please, go ahead brother."

"Thank you." The meeting seemed to drag on forever, but Marco and Star were immediately flabbergasted. The law involved special treatment of monsters in varying circumstances, such as monsters with pincers in medicine, or a suspected murderer who happens to be a well armored monster. From the council's words, the pair realized this was a rewrite, and from Reign and Gorbin, they realized this was a very poor one. At almost every point both brothers were intersecting with other laws or issues, and it became clear how much detail these two put into making the law nearly ironclad. But as time went on, there would be one more disaster. The clock struck six and both the Royal siblings sighed.

"I do apologize, but that is all for today. We have a very important meeting and I can't afford to be late again, especially with the guest of honor here as well." The councilors all stood and gave some parting words, until both princes began starring one down with a condescending look.

"Would you mind repeating that comment Councilor Fantod?" The councilors all stared at the woman, shocked looks on their faces as the woman in question stopped mid action, her body twisted as she was getting up.

"I, said nothing my princes."

"Oh? But you did. You said something, specific. A phrase very unbecoming of one of our political members."

"I-"

"Elder brother, I think the stress has gotten to the lady. Perhaps all she needs is some, respite to come to terms with her personal issues, do you agree?"

"Yes, oh full heartedly. I simply need some rest."

"Yes, and for the words, 'filthy half-breed and peasant' I do believe, thirty years is plenty recuperation." The woman fell to the floor.

"You can't do this."

"Just did. Oh, and to make sure, we will write the rest of your family about your sudden return."

"But-"

"If you wish to try us, we could take this even higher and make this, public?" The woman went green as she quickly got off the floor and ran out of the building. Star and Marco were stunned. They had not expected either the comment, or the immediate retribution. As the woman left several other councilors approached and apologized for their former comrade's comment. Truth be told, they had barely heard the comment, but it was almost pleasant to see the reaction. In moments the brothers met up with Star and Marco.

"Princess Star, Sir Marco, this is my eldest brother, Heir Apparent Prince Gorbin." The man bowed, Star curtailed, and Marco saluted. The man swiftly came up, giving them all a heartfelt smile.

"At ease everyone. After all, three of us are family or at least will be, and Sir Marco, in an informal setting please, you can ignore the salute. You are a legend and the protector of my future sister-in-law. There is no fear of repercussions from me." They all relaxed and soon, were walking down the same road they had traveled before. The horrible stares from before we far less present, many choosing to almost hide themselves as the four passed by. It was almost twenty minutes of silence when they entered the palace, taking a few turns to a small offshoot of a building.

"Welcome to the royal dining hall."

"Sire, you are the first to arrive, would you like to sit now?"

"Interesting. Mother and father must be having a delightful chat with the Butterflies. Very well. We will go ahead and get seated. I'd love to get a chance to talk and have it not be about business."

"As you wish sire." The four entered into a large room with over thirty large, rectangular tables, with one, slightly curved, far more elaborate table at the opposite end. It looked like a fancy mess hall. Without a word all four were seated. Gorbin sat next to Reign, leaving an empty seat at the end of the table, Star sat next to Reign, with Marco sitting next to her. They sat in silence for only a moment, but as Gorbin went to speak, a man walked into the room.

"Announcing her highness, Princess Aria and her husband, Sir Marfon." Both brothers took sudden breaths as the door opened. Marco found it hard not to stare as Aria walked in. She was immensely attractive, a figure befitting a supermodel, a face both cute and beautiful, bright, red hair that flowed like waves down just past her shoulders, and perhaps the skimpiest red dress he had ever seen. Compared to her honestly rather plain husband, she was a shining jewel of radiance. He couldn't tear his eyes away until a sharp kick to his leg prompted his return to reality. Looking up, he saw Star simmering at him, to which he chuckled nervously.

"Sister Aria, what a surprise. And you look, well…"

"Brother Gorbin, this fashion comes from Earth. I like it, so too bad." She giggled and suddenly Marco and Star realized why she had such a plain husband. Her voice was terrible. It was a scratchy mess, and sounded more like an old, fat cat lady than the beauty that she was.

"Well, to be fair that is considered very risque." Marco interjected, focusing his willpower on not oggling Aria.

"To also be fair, that isn't what you really look like and that isn't the outfit you're wearing." Aria took a sharp intake of breath as she turned around. Torro was standing at the doorway, holding a hand up to a servant who so desperately wanted to announce him.

"Don't look at me with those 'Special Eyes' Tor!"

"What's the matter? Self conscious without your 'Make-up'?"

"What's going on?" Reign looked at Marco, and blinked in surprise. Then it clicked.

"Oh, right. You don't know about the Royal Abilities yet Marco.

"The Royal Abilities?" The group looked up to see Queen Babs, King Toffee, and Queen Moon. Reign looked to Babs who waved him on.

"Royal Abilities. Each of us born of the direct line have an ability that allow us to do things normal mewmans cannot. Each person has their own limits and rule sets, but generally our abilities are well known. Aria has 'Analyze', an ability that allows her to see all the details of whatever it is she is looking at, but it drains her mentally. Torro has 'Special Eyes', which allows him to see through any false things visually, even medications don't change what he can see. Gordin has the ability of 'Command'. He can infuse his will into a single four letter word and if you aren't strong enough to resist it, you must obey the intent. Mine is, not one worth talking about, Petunia's hasn't awakened quite yet, and that leaves Mom and Uncle Lor. Uncle has 'Make-up' which allows him to make something or someone look, feel, or taste different. But has no effect on smell or hearing."

"And my ability is 'foresight'. I can see about five seconds into the future." The Butterflys all looked around shocked as Torro and Aria argued. Even Moon had no idea that they possessed such powers.

"But if you had those, why is-"

"All in due time Moon. Now come on it's almost time for the nobility to start gathering." Babs had a deep smile on her face as she looked to Star and Reign. Both smiled back, though it was a little too obvious Star's was a little forced. Almost as if on cue, the large doors everyone had entered through fling open, the poor servant at the doorway resigning himself to silence as many nobles filtered in, including one little bundle of energy.

"Big brother!" Petunia ran up to Gorbin and tackled him in a hug, one he returned gleefully.

"Well, someone's excited! How are you doing Petunia?"

"Great! I got out of my lessons on posture and grandma says I might not have to do the full classes anymore!"

"That's great. Now, why don't you sit on down, you know who else is coming, don't you?" Petunia's smile grew impossibly large as she sat down a few seats from Gorbin, almost bouncing out of her seat. After a moment's hesitation, the rest of the royals also sat down. Toffee next to Marco, Moon next to him, Babs in the center next to her, with Petunia next to her. After an empty seat Aria and her husband sat down with Torro taking the final seat. After a loving, but stern stare, Petunia got up and moved next to Aria. After a few minutes the rush of noblemen slowed and everyone began to chatter. Surprisingly, none came up to talk with anyone at the royal table and after a small pause an announcer walked back up towards the door.

"Announcing his highness, King Kor'teh." The room went silent as everyone turned towards the door. Stepping through was a tall, very streamlined man. He was slightly taller than Toffee with many feline features, including a big, fluffy tail. His face however was mostly mewman like, with whiskers and his lips as the only giveaways. He strolled through the room, with many eyes following him. Some were kind eyes, some were jealous, some were neutral, but a few were full of disdain. He stopped in the middle, addressing the room.

"My apologies for the delay. But I would like to make a quick announcement. Effective this morning, the Western Rebellion is at an official end!" The Butterfly's exchanged a glance as the room didn't mention a single word. They simply kept on staring. "Well, I expected a bit more cheer." Not a soul stirred. Soon he simply turned towards the main table and bowed. "I'm home my queen."

"Welcome home my king. Please, join us at your proper place." Her warm smile turned into a steely gaze as she locked eyes with a few of the less, amicable stares. As the king sat down Petunia immediately began showering him with praise as the noblemen slowly returned to their conversations. Star leaned over a bit towards Reign, only realizing her mistake part way.

"What just happened?" Reign leaned over a bit and responded.

"Well, he just ended a twelve year rebellion, even if it's been bloodless for six. However, some nobles want their children to obtain powerful titles and histories to try and help their positions and a few more vaguely hide their dislike of father and his, heritage. The remainder stood to make good profit from their business should the rebellion have turned into war. Especially the ones who could, oust their competition." Star felt another wave of anger at these nobles as she stewed in her knowledge. Just then, the large doors opened again. This time, several servants with food came piling in, placing covered dishes in front of multiple nobles. They were surprised, however, when none of the dishes were uncovered. While everyone had a dish placed before them, they were essentially being told to wait. Something they hated. As the last noblemen had dishes placed before them, a few golden ones were brought in and set upon the head table. Star and Marco looked around and Reign motioned for them to wait. Just as the work was done, Queen Babs stood up, prompting everyone to turn their eyes towards her.

"Greetings noblemen. A pleasure to see you all here again on this most magnanimous of days. As all of you were just made aware, the rebellion is over. It has unofficially bern over for several months thanks to some assistance from foreign kingdoms, one of which joins us today. So first, I would love to thank our dear friends, the Butterfly Kingdom, for their aid!" She lifted her glass and while the room did so as well, there was almost no energy behind it. As she returned her drink down however, the nobles paused.

"I also have two more pieces of news. Prince Gorbin, would you like to share yours?" The prince stood and bowed.

"I would. Nobles of the court, my wife is with child. A new heir is to be born!" His smile was wide as far more noblemen vocalized joy. The man smiled as a cheer went through the crowd. A few minutes later and he sat down, the queen again demanding attention.

"Finally, Prince Reign, would you like to share your news or would you prefer to announce?" Reign stood up and the atmosphere shifted again. Suddenly, Star flashed back to the marketplace. It seemed as if everyone, noble to servant, was staring death into Reign. But the young man seemed to brush everything off as he spoke with authority and clarity.

"I would. Esteemed citizens, this day a deal was finally struck to ensure our alliance with the Butterfly Kingdom remains strong for generations. This day, Princess Star Butterfly, heroine of the multiverse, has been engaged to wed myself in one years time. I-" Reign was cut off as the entire room erupted into an outroar. The Butterflys were stunned as words were flung around, only tidbits able to be processed.

"You deceitful fuck!"

"Prince Torro is far more deserving!"

"That throne was mine since I was born!" Along with many others flew until Gorbin stood again.

"Shut!" Immediately the room silenced as he looked around, Reign keeping a neutral face. "Reign was chosen by the large council over Torro. Torro himself has come to terms with the decision, and so should all of you. At worst you can consider this a guarantee that he will not lead us if you're so conceited. Remember, I have not chosen my advisors and may change those choices based on tonight. Now either remain silent, or leave. I do not intend to repeat myself." Gorbin sat in a huff as the room remained silent. Slowly, they began to sit, leaving Reign standing alone.

"Yes, as my brother said this was decided by the large council, excluding the Royal family itself for obvious reasons. This decision took thirty council days. It is happening. As a result, when the wedding has completed I will be leaving the country to head to the Butterfly Kingdom." The Butterfly's watched as the room seemed to suddenly brighten up. People excitedly talking as Jacob stood for a time. "As such, we propose a toast to our new allies, The Butterfly Kingdom!" The roar of approval was deafening. Star again came to her question, what had her betrothed done, and how could she use it to destroy this marriage? She shelved the thought as dinner was served. It would be hours before she was alone in her room at the castle. She had spent the night observing and had come to a simple conclusion.

"His own people hate him." She turned on the sheets, the darkness hiding most everything from her eyes. As she stared through what she remembered as the balcony window. A storm was expected and due to the nature of the storm the Butterflys had elected to stay in the castle. Star could hear Marco, asleep on the floor nearby, but she couldn't help but see Jacob as a mystery. Mewmans and monsters alike were so warm to him in the market district, yet it really felt like without her presence he would have been attacked in the market district, and at the dinner the nobles nearly revolted until he announced his departure. She couldn't help but see similarities between herself and him.

The movement of armor outside grabbed her attention for a moment, but as the sound grew distant, she sighed. She had to figure him out and get out of this marriage. But what was his goal? Clearly he had known this was a possibility for a while, so why did the council act now, why was he chosen, and why did he like her so much? Turning around, she buried her head in her pillow. As the sound of rain filled her ears, she fell asleep. Curious as to what would come next.


	2. Monstar Investigations

Star awoke to the sound of Marco, pulling her awake with a nice tune. Star recognized it as a song he sings while showering, but he was nowhere near the shower. Looking up from her position she saw a very appealing sight.

Marco was shirtless, and he had grown much more appealing since she had met him two years ago. His body had started to look more and more like that of his Neverzone self and she loved it. He was doing stretching exercises and the movement glued her eyes to him dreamily, right until her phone went off. She quickly scrambled up and hoped Marco didn't catch her staring as she looked at the device that had just ruined her fun.

"Oh, it's Jackie!" Star smiled a bit, happy to see a very welcome name pop up. She answered without a second thought. "Sup girl?"

"Sup Star. You hanging in there alright? Hope I didn't interrupt something with the meeting."

"Nah. It's all good. From the way it looks I was probably waking up soon anyway."

"She's lying Jackie. She was totally checking me out just as you called." Marco smiled slyly as Star blushed, a giggle being heard through her phone.

"Oh Star, don't be ashamed. Marco is turning into a sexy beast."

"Oh stop it Jackie. I'm not that good looking."

"Can it Marco. No lying around your princess." Star giggled as the two went back and forth. She enjoyed this. Jackie had been curious about her from the start and had even helped her ask out Marco. She was basically the sister Star always wanted. Though Star couldn't lie, Jackie had some damn fine curves.

"Yeah Marco. But seriously, you get the info Jackie?"

"One hundred percent. It seems he's a pretty nice dude, but the odds of him actually not wanting the throne of Mewni is low. I mean, eight years is a long time to hold a crush on someone without even seeing them. Either he wants the throne, or he's delusional about who you are. Well, there's a few more, and they are a lot nicer ones, but these two are the worst. For the best, he may want to get to know you, and doesn't want to force the marriage just like he says. And so he used himself to satisfy the council, elongated the build-up, and is genuinely trying to stop the arranged part while wooing you. From how it sounds, he at least doesn't want to make this happen before trying something, otherwise the wedding would probably be a lot sooner."

"And no word from Janna?"

"Not yet Marco. She did say she and Tom would look into him, Janna in their Kingdom and Tom from his archives. But they would have barely gotten a look at it yet. Tom said he's probably weeks out, and Janna is a best guess scenario."

"Damn. I guess we're stuck with him for a bit. Sorry Star."

"It's okay Marco. We can just wait here for a little, enjoy our time together and prepare for the day."

"Well, I'll be in the country soon. I guess Aria Overture had questions on Earth and Mewni entertainment so I'm invited over."

"But, we were supposed to go home today."

"Star, your parents are going home, but you and Marco are expected to spend a week there. I'll be staying until you leave though. I'm supposed to come over for breakfast in an hour. See you then, okay?"

"See ya Jacks."

"Later Jackie." Star hung up her phone and groaned into the air. "Great. Another six days. Whoo."

"Oh come on Star. Look at it this way. Maybe we can dig up some dirt of our own here."

"Not likely Marco. We've seen some pretty bad stuff already, I doubt we're going to get many straight answers since the knights will probably intimidate anyone we meet."

"Well, I can try and find out from the knights themselves. I noticed Reign only associated with the ones in white armor, and not the ones in iron armor. They may be less on his side."

"Work the hero angle huh? I like it! Guess I'll be on my own today then."

"Oh shoot. Star I-"

"No Marco, it's better if you socialize. The sooner you start gaining trust, the better. I'll be fine. Now, as much as I'd rather run my hands over your slightly sweaty abs for the next hour, we should probably get dressed incase a maid comes by. I'd rather not tempt fate of someone thinking I lost my purity already." Marco nodded and put on his gray t-shirt. Star got up, and Marco had to look away bashfully. In the dark it was okay, but he still wasn't used to Star sleeping in only a pair of panties. She quickly added a bra and dress to it, much to his relief.

"Well, I'll do that after break-"

"Excuse me, I am the made assigned to you by Queen Babsibarae. May I come in?" Both Star and Marco stared at the door. There was no way.

"Uh, yeah. Come in." To their shock, a moment later Janna walked in, her dark hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a long maid outfit. They both stared as the door closed and she breathed heavily.

"Thanks. All that work is a damn chore. You guys have no idea how actually competent these guys are. Like, in Mewni I walked in the front door. Here? I had to actually fake being someone who drank themselves to death last night! I mean, worked out perfectly, somehow, but still."

"Janna, you didn't-"

"I promised not to do that again Marco. Not after what happened to Oscar."

"Poor parrot didn't deserve it."

"I said I was sorry Star! Seriously. Who knew that would kill him?"

"Janna, you fed the parrot battery acid."

"Hey, our stomachs have that already dude!"

"But it's diluted and-"

"That's enough. We aren't home and we don't want any trouble. Now, Janna-"

"Only know that you're wanted for breakfast in forty minutes. Literally just got here. I'll have some dirt within four days."

"Counting on it Janna."

"Also, Marco, knights are training right now."

"I gotta go to the breakfast with Star though."

"That might be a problem if you want to get the ironclad knights to talk. They aren't as hyped on you yet. Easiest way to get to them, shit talk Reign. Like, beyond bully level. That's the fastest way."

"That seems a little, harsh."

"Next best thing is show'em up. And don't talk good of Reign. Seriously, everyone hates him outside of the Royal Knights and Monster Residences. It's bad."

"Okay Janna. See what you can find out about that. Might be our ticket out of this."

"On it boss lady. Also, Marco, your shirt is inside out." Marco looked down and indeed, it was. He quickly went to rectify it and by the time he was done, Janna was gone.

"Really wanna know how she does that."

"It's a Janna. Now come on. We have a breakfast to get ready for." Star nodded and after messing with her hair and helping Marco into his armor, they headed down to the main dining hall. Already present were Aria, who was already talking to Jackie, Reign, who was looking over a scroll, and Star's parents, who were sitting quietly holding each others hands. Looking over, Jackie had chosen a casual ensemble, her hair was still a blonde color with an aqua streak, still not straightened despite insistence she would look amazing that way. She wore a fit white shirt with a green border and her signature short-shorts. Star smiled as she walked up to her friend.

"Sup Jacks."

"Sup girl. Was just talking to Aria about skateboarding."

"Indeed. I would love to experience it myself. We could use some more physical entertainment. Chess was recently introduced and while fun, I want there to be more options." Star smiled and noticed that Aria was different from last night. Then it struck her, the effect of that 'make-up' was gone. She looked very similar, but pudgier. Her eyes were also brown, and clearly her left arm had some scars on it. Star barely suppressed her shock before Aria smiled at her. "Curious about my appearance?" Star blushed.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't-"

"It's quite alright. I'm not ashamed. While I love looking drop dead gorgeous again, I only ask for that to make good first impressions. I had a bad breakup when I was about your age and grew depressed. I started eating to console myself and got very, very fat. Then I met my husband and he helped me lose a bunch of weight and learn to appreciate myself. The scar is from my breakup, but that's not a breakfast story I'm afraid."

"Speaking of your husband, where is he?"

"Oh he's gone ahead of me to our next destination. I am traveling to Feldspar Fields, a young town near Relding River, to see about potentially building a recreational park there, as well as a potential journey around to meet the people. And I'm sure I will have to include a 'skatepark' was it?"

"Yes ma'am. I'll text you over a few videos I've taken and some designs and numbers."

"Excellent. Well, I'd love to bond with you as sisters Star, but Mom should be here soon. You and Marco should go to Reign. Poor boy needs someone to drag him out of his work." Star looked over, failing to hide her dissatisfaction as she saw Reign had a scroll in front of him. "Come now. I know it's rude to work at a dining table, but it's been his mission to get a law like this enacted for years. He'll give you attention over that law though, that's how important you are to him." Star looked at Aria, then back to Reign. She then took a breath, and sat next to him, Marco sitting next to her. Reign looked up and upon seeing her, smiled and rolled up his scroll.

"Sorry, didn't see you enter. Early this morning I got the partial revision to the Monster Citizenship Law and was just trying to go over it real quick. That then turned into four hours of thinking." Star blinked. It was nine in the morning. She blinked again and realized Reign now had his full attention on her. She was slightly creeped out, but then a thought occurred. Jackie was single after all. But before she could even begin the doors opened and Babs walked on in.

"Good morning everyone." She was met with a chorus of greetings as she made her way next to Moon. "For those unfamiliar, Torro and Gorbin will be missing breakfast. Torro's ability can't be turned off so it makes him sleep for half the day. As for Gorbin, his wife is getting ready to go to the doctor for an examination and he decided to be by her side. My husband should be here shortly." Moon nodded and in quick order drinks were brought to the table, followed by several trays of food. "We heard about a style of eating food on Earth called a buffet and decided to try it out. There is plenty of food for everyone, so please, take as much as you want." Babs smiled and Star immediately began to spoon tons of food onto her plate. Loads of bacon, sausages, eggs, biscuits, some pancakes with chocolate chips, and a few biscuits. It wasn't until she heard her father clearing his throat that she realized what she had done.

"Oh, darn it. I'm so so-"

"A good appetite is nothing to apologize for. We've heard that Septarians can be voracious eaters due to their regenerative abilities as well as their lukewarm blood. Please, do take what you want. We have plenty." As if on queue several more servants entered the room with more trays of food. Reign motioned to Marco and soon he began to take some food. After a few minutes the room fell to near silence as the sound of utensils on plates was heard. It was several minutes when finally, Marco spoke up.

"This is good! What kind of spicing was used on the bacon?

"None. It's smoked in a special wood great-grandfather Gordin, whom my brother was named after, discovered on one of his trading trips when he was still a prince. It has been called spice wood as it spices up any food cooked using it on a magical level. It's rather hard to import right now as we are in a trade disagreement with the country that has these trees in droves."

"Huh. Well, I'd certainly like some when that gets cleared up!"

"Not a problem Marco. We will let you know when it is done."

"So, if you've got such a small amount, why is this food cooked using it?" Reign looked at Toffee smiling.

"The bacon was smoked for dinner last night. It was meant to be a garniture for the potatoes, but then the chef had to toss out the idea when the cheese intended to go with it was accidently left in the freezer, ruining it."

"I see, so instead of wasting the effort, we get to eat it?"

"Yes. The Knights and castle staff also got to eat it as well earlier this morning, and there is probably still some for the ones who get started later in the day."

"Well, that seems rather generous. I would have thought with such an in demand product it would have been reserved." Babs turned to Moon, the room looking at Babs.

"Well Moon, it was decided about three hundred years ago that some things just shouldn't be held only for nobility. Things like good food, good clothing, and decent materials for homes was deemed among the many things for people to have access to. It's why right now only special events have the wood used in cooking."

"And that includes the feast celebrating ten years of love." The room turned to see Kor'teh just entering the room. "Sorry for my tardiness, I've got some, morning issues."

"Dear can't move so well when he just wakes up." Without waiting he took a seat next to Babs, filled up a small plate, and began to eat while chatting away with Moon and Toffee. Star was finishing up her large plate of food and patted her stomach contently.

"So you like the chef's cooking huh?"

"Yeah, it was good. I mean, would have been better with ketchup, but not bad at all."

"Ketchup?" Star immediately realized her error. She had just basically criticized the meal and Moon began shooting her nervous glances. Thankfully, Jackie was there to placate the situation.

"Yeah. It's a condiment you can add to improve the taste of certain foods. In this case, a tomato based sauce. It's rather versatile." Aria broke away from her own meal to look at Jackie.

"Now that sounds like something we will need to discuss in detail. These Earth condiments could be used to create great variety, especially with those 'corned dogs' you spoke of." Aria smiled at Jackie who smiled back. The rest of breakfast was relatively quiet as everyone finished and began to leave. Aria and Jackie left first to discuss the first 'modern' circus for a tour. Then Moon and Toffee left to go back to Mewni, promising to call and to try and meet up for one meal a day. Marco reluctantly got up next, realizing he was running out of time to get in good with the town guard. Finally, Babs stood up with her husband, the two boeing out as royal business called them to duty. Now it was just Star and Reign, and Star felt very uncomfortable. Reign, noticing this, stood up.

"Well, I can tell you'd rather have some time to yourself right now. So unless you'd like to continue our game from yesterday, I'll be off." He smiled as Star calmed slightly, a unique chance to ask certain questions arising.

"Why am I your heroine?"

"Sorry, not answering that one. It's something for me to know and cherish, and maybe for you to remember. Loses value if I tell you and I'm sure I've embellished parts of it over time."

"Well then, why do you really care so much about monsters?"

"Huh, thought it would be obvious. Well, while it has a lot to do with you in particular, my little sister and the general dislike of me gives me some perspective of their plight. Add to that my step-dad is a nice dude and, well, I wanted to help."

"That's it? You put in a lot of effort for what doesn't seem that much." Reign chuckled as he looked up at Star. Up until this point he had a kind, happy look behind his eyes. She would even dare say it was almost, loving. But these eyes held nothing but pain and sorrow. She would know, she had seen it many, many times before.

"Yeah. It's, rather foolish huh?" Star wanted so badly to say something, but the words caught in her throat. Reign stood up and bowed. It was so mechanical, Star simply watched as he walked out. It was the first time she had seen someone else that defeated. But as the door shut behind him, she knew any chance she had to figure out why had just closed for now. She made a mental note to remember this moment for evening deconstruction, and gathered herself. She had to think about her plans for the day since it was now so open, however, nothing came to mind. Janna was likely talking to the castle staff, Jackie had Aria's attention, Marco was working the town guard, and her parents were already gone back home to continue running the kingdom. Thankfully, a solution presented itself.

"Greetings Princess." Star turned around to see Gorbin, and a very pregnant woman right next to him. She was modestly dressed in a simple, deep blue dress that was very loose below her large bust. Her auburn hair was cut short, and her make-up was non-existent. Star smiled when she realized he was with his wife, the future queen.

"Greetings Prince Gorbin, Princess, er."

"Oh, where are my manners. I am Desir, and please, call me Desir. I'm no real princess. Not unlike yourself Princess."

"Oh, please, just call me Star, Desir. So, I guess with you two here your appointment finished?"

"Actually we were running late. Morning sickness got pretty bad and I was not making her move too much." Desir lightly punched Gorbin in the arm, smiling from ear to ear.

"Such a gentleman. Anyway, I'm on my way to have the baby looked at on Earth. Your mother has some contacts there and with her help, we were able to get an appointment for a first look at our baby!" She nearly squealed in excitement at the prospect as Star felt both excited and puzzled.

"Wait, I can understand the excitement, but how did mom get such a short notice appointment?"

"Well, while Mother Babs wasn't in direct communication with Moon, our nations have had some contact with each other, especially upon hearing about Earth. While this appointment was rather sudden, being agreed upon just three days ago, but the doctor was very considerate since they had an opening. Now, would you like to join us Star?" Star stared blankly for a moment before filing away a few things for later, then smiled deeply.

"Babies are too cute to pass up!" The couple smiled as the three of them began making their way out of the dining hall. In mere moments they arrived in a small chamber with a somewhat underdressed butler.

"Are you ready your Majesties?"

"We are Bruce. Please, lead the way." Without a word a portal was cut open and the man stepped through, moments later Gorbin and Desir followed. Star took a deep breath and followed as well, coming out in front of a small clinic in Echo Creek. She smiled as Both Gorbin and Desir looked around in awe. While Star looked around reminiscing. She remembered coming here once with Angie when she was pregnant with Maripossa. With a smile on her face she watched as they puzzled at the door entrance.

"There's no handle."

"Oh, Earth technology is great. Simply approach the door and-" Star stepped forward and as Gorbin and Desir watched in amazement, it opened. Star waved them on and they followed suit into a decidedly cooler room.

"What sort of magic allows this?"

"They call it Aycee. Apparently it's a machine that cools the air of small rooms, up to rooms bigger than the Royal Mewnian Ballroom!"

"That's a bit of a stretch Star. How is Earth so advanced?"

"Well, I think a large portion of it is the fact that they don't actually have magic. They had to get inventive to survive their environment. And so while we developed our talents, they developed their technology. Also helps they aren't at war as often as us."

"It's hard to beat a thousand year war in a drain of resources."

"Well, truth be told from what Marco explained, recently a lot of their advances come from building up a military, then adapting that technology for civilian use."

"So they're always ready to defend each other, but helping their people too. That's pretty smart. However, getting people to go for military spending that way could be seen as aggressive and cause another war we don't want. So for now, we'll shelve it. But still, to think that there is such a gap." Gorbin looked around, noting a few people waiting and finally, seeing an attendant. Star walked them up and spoke for them, realizing her mother probably had no idea what Earthlings did for these. She was thankful Angie had brought her once for a checkup.

"Hi. We have Mr. and Mrs. Overture here to see the doctor about their baby." The nurse looked up then back to her computer screen, then to a small note on the side of her screen.

"Yes, we've been expecting you. Normally there are procedures but, you're a very special case. Wait a moment and Nurse Drew will assist you." Not even as she finished a young man in blue scrubs opened a door opposite the check-in counter.

"Mr. and Mrs. Overture?" The three turned around and Star pointed to the couple. "Come with me. We'll get you started."

"Can our friend come with?"

"As long as you're okay with it and she doesn't get in the way, we have no problems with that." The trio smiled and followed the nurse. He took a few measurements before taking them into a small room with a few seats, a strange bed, and a device only Star had seen anything of before. "Now then, would you like an amniocentesis?" All three stared blankly at the man. He quickly looked at his chart and his eyes went wide. He looked up smiling and spoke again. "It's a test where we draw some of the fluid around the baby to see if there are any major problems the child could have at birth, such as down syndrome, a disease which leads to young death and debilitated brain function."

"Oh. Well, I think seven months is a little far along for that." The nurse nodded his head and returned to his paperwork, moments later the door opened and an older woman in a white coat stepped out.

"Hello. I am doctor Priscilla. Who's ready to meet their baby?" All three flashed her a smile as the doctor began telling the nurse what to do. In minutes they were preparing to see a little baby on the black screen, the Doctor and Star explaining as everything was prepared. "Okay. This may feel a little weird ma'am, but try and stay still for us." Desir smiled and nodded and the doctor put a small device on Desir's belly. She began to move around when a surprise shown on the screen. "My goodness, twins!"

"Twins!" The couple said in unison as Star stared in wonder at the screen. She had seen Maripossa as a baby before, but this felt different. She placed a hand on her belly and began to rub, wondering what her babies would be like. After a bit of rotation of the device the doctor smiled.

"Two girls. They both look healthy enough as well. They're a little on the small side, but if you make it to nine months, I'd say you have nothing to worry about." The couple looked at the screen, pure love pouring out of them as they looked upon their children for the first time. "Would you like a copy of the image to show your families?" The two looked in wide-eyed wonder at the doctor as they violently shook their heads. An emphatic yes.

"Great!" The doctor maneuvered the device, finding the twins and after touching the screen a few times, she had a picture of the two. The couple visibly teared up when it was handed to them and Star mentally put herself and Marco in their shoes. She smiled at the sight and thought, a warm feeling flowing through her. Then she remembered the man who was supposed to be there. She saw that scene and could feel the warmth fade. It was a further twenty minutes as the doctor gave them some advice for the baby, and the morning sickness, and then they were on their way.

"That was an intense moment. Thank you so much for sharing it with us Star." Star smiled warmly as the two shared their excitement with her.

"Thank you for sharing it with me. Your babies are going to be adorable!"

"Yes, and I just know your's and Reign's will be just as cute if not more!" Star stopped as her mind put Gorbin's words into an image again. Star immediately clammed up and, as Bruce raised an eyebrow, the couple stepped in.

"Uh, Bruce, go ahead and head on home. We will follow shortly. We want to have a, private, conversation with Star." Bruce nodded and opened a portal, leaving the scissors in his hands with Gorbin before crossing the portal himself. The portal closed and Gorbin turned to Star. "So, is he really that bad?" Star gulped as she looked upon the crown prince, fear welling up.

"It's okay. We are trying to work things out do the marriage isn't forced. It's just, to see you this against him so quickly It's, disheartening." Star calmed down, she was right, the entire royal family should be aware that as of right now she was against marrying him.

"Well, to be honest, I'm nowhere near liking him, it's less him and more, I had just gotten together for real with my almost two year crush. One he reciprocated. I literally had my first date with him earlier that same day I received the message about the marriage." The couple's eyes went wide as everything clicked into place.

"Oh. That is really bad timing."

"Yes dear. I remember when I was in her position. I was a bit further along, but I was so against it I nearly knocked Gorbin out!" She smiled as she looked back at her husband.

"Seriously, I was tossed clear across the room!" Star giggled at the simplicity the two showed, but as her thoughts went to who they reminded her of, her joy escaped her. "But honestly, it's okay. Here, where the prying eyes of the kingdoms are gone, let's be honest. Our deepest wish is that we can get you out of this arranged marriage, but that you'll still choose him out of love." Star couldn't say she was surprised, but she was hurt. She had hoped the two would understand but it seemed their fairy tail ending had made them blind.

"He really does admire you and I can honestly say that until now he hasn't even given a girl special treatment, let alone actually tried to impress them so much."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I ran into mom and father on my way to the dining hall to say good morning and she was very excited. You see, most girls who actually pay him attention were, and I'm sure you understand this, after his position." Star shuddered, she remembered one day talking to over forty noble boys about potential courting and how all of them could barely look in her face. "And at least with the throne of Mewni, you have a lot of interest. Reign has had exactly, four suitors." Star looked up shocked. Sure he wasn't very high up in the pecking order, but whoever married him was going to be related to the future king. Not to mention unlike her, he was a normal looking mewman. Her thoughts immediately ran amok trying to figure out what could have led to this as Desir started to speak.

"To be fair, I wasn't a fan of Reign either when I first met him. He grew on me, but the girls who were interested in him all felt like they held a knife behind their backs. He was a means to an end, nothing more." Star blinked. It couldn't be so easy.

"Why didn't you like him at first?" Desir fearfully looked at Gorbin who returned the look. Star's heart sank as she figured she was not long not getting an answer, she had stepped on forbidden territory and exposed herself.

"I'm sorry. That's, not a pleasant story from my end. Reign did nothing wrong. But, a few years ago I was out in the town and I saw a man get robbed. I asked my guards to help since we couldn't see any other guards in the area. They chased the thief, but it was all a trap. You see, many nobles in our country want their ideals to be the focus on the country, regardless of if it is a good idea or not. To them our ideas were a threat and they orchestrated everything to get me in position for, removal." Star gulped hard. She knew where this story was going.

"I went to check on the woman but she started to run away, I stupidly chased her and was ambushed by a few men. I still have nightmares about their faces, twisted in lust as they talked about killing me while forcing me nude. That's when he appeared. He called out and was upon them in an instant. They were confused but while a few held me down, he began to fight off the attackers. Just as he was getting overwhelmed his guards caught up and began to fight as well. A moment later and my guards came. The men surrendered pretty quickly after that." Star stood amazed. She didn't know Reign that well, but she never would have pegged his body as that of a fighter's. Then again, Marco was that way at first too.

"When I heard the details of what happened I began to investigate. Found the noble who was behind it and he was put to the sword. We'd later found out Reign was nearby when a monster informed him some strange men were acting suspiciously nearby so he went to investigate, he stumbled upon the incident as a result. He was injured in the skirmish, seven knife wounds over his body, including three full stabs, lead to him being given bed rest for a few days. Besides the attackers the guards killed, he was the only one to suffer serious injury."

"He saved my life and my body that day. And I'll never forget that." Star looked between the two, noting a mix of pride, joy, and sadness. She had certainly never expected to hear about this before today, perhaps though, her big question shouldn't have been her go to. Perhaps, she should find out why people like him instead.

"Wow. That's a heck of a story. It's a good thing the Royal guard is such a fan of him."

"That's because he's their commander."

"... What?"

"Yeah. Little Bro is the commander of the Royal Guard." Star stared wide-eyed and worried at Gorbin as she processed everything. "Guess he never mentioned. Besides having a job in the council, we also have duties outside of it. I am in charge of Outside Relations and alongside father I travel to other countries for meetings, Aria is Head of Entertainment and works on building recreational areas, Torro is our Spymaster, and Petunia is undecided, but she doesn't have much longer to choose."

"So, he's in control of the very people meant to defend you?"

"Yes. I know it seems odd to hand control of our protectors over to a guy who benefits greatly from our disappearance, but that's what makes him so trustworthy to begin with."

"So, did they treat him like, uh." Desir and Gorbin couldn't meet her gaze as Desir answered.

"Let's just say he had to prove himself before they even responded to him. Now though, he's probably the most respected by the Royal Guard than anyone else. Even Babs."

"Indeed. He's persevered through so much and now he's finally making headway towards being respected by all. He really tries hard. And that's why it's so impressive you had his attention." Star's stomach sank when she realized they were going back on course. "He will usually respond if we talk to him, but not even Mom can take him so out of his work that he puts down his work to pay attention to another."

"Last month he sat at the dining table for two days straight without eating just rewriting parts of that Monster Citizenship Law."

"Why is such a law so hard? Just, treat them like mewmans and you're done."

"If only it were that simple. The problem lies in laws already in place. For instance, let's compare a scenario. You are walking down the street and someone steals your purse, the guard catches them but as you approach, you are found to have been hurt. Now for the differences. In scenario 'A' it was a mewman. In scenario 'B' it's a monster with claws. Now, the injury doesn't matter so much so let's say it's a small, bleeding scratch. If the law has no differentiation, the mewman has a robbery charge, and the monster an armed robbery charge and a battery charge." Star blinked. Then it clicked.

"The claws could be seen as weapons."

"Exactly. The fact is the law has to protect those monsters who could be harmed by no differentiation. It could be either positive for them or negative, and we don't want to leave it all to chance."

"Wow, I wouldn't have thought about that."

"Yeah, we didn't either, but he did. He realized it during a meeting he was allowed to sit in on and he immediately pointed out the problem. The thing is leaving it up to the discretion of people throws holes into the law, allowing people to abuse it. So he began to specify in the law, closing loopholes and he just fit into place. Thankfully the council members at the time were very open, so he took laws associated with monster citizenship as his council position."

"Huh. I never would have guessed. He seems too, perfect, for the position."

"Yes, and that's why you made Mom so happy. He was always engrossed in this law, hardly taking time away from it for years. I would have given a lot to see him do it for you."

"Are you saying he wouldn't do it for even little Petunia?"

"For the most part. She can get him out of it, as can Babs, but he willingly parted without any effort for you. That's special." Star felt some anger rising. And just as she was wondering why, her mouth clarified for her.

"So he cares that little about his family? I thought his little sister was everything to him?"

"She is. Mom and Tuni are the most important people to him besides you. But he will usually go right back to a task when he's done talking. It wasn't out of malice. He's just, driven. There are other reasons, but, it's not my place to say." Gorbin looked to the side. Star's anger abated just a bit as his eyes then dropped down sadly. Star could almost swear she could feel his sadness, his regret. Desir but her hand on his shoulder and without moving his head, put his hand on hers. Star watched on for a moment as he collected himself. Desir, however, wanted to strike while the time was ripe.

"Star. Reign seems to some cold and uncaring, but from what I've heard, you've seen the real him already. The boy let his guard down only once, and that was on your first day."

"... At the council?"

"At Ampha's." Star had a feeling that was what she was talking about, but it made no sense. How would they know about that stop and how would they know how he acted?

"How do you two know about that?"

"Well, it's a little known fact that the Royal family has been treating monsters as people for almost a century. Ampha used to be the Royal Nanny." Star's jaw dropped. Ampha had told them. "She was always a kind woman. And while I only knew her after her work, Gorbin and Aria always talk up a storm about her. Torro does talk about her a bit, but Reign was mostly handled by Babs after Gorbin was announced to be the Crown Prince. From what I heard, she was given a nice compensation package, even opened up a small cafe to pass the time." Star blinked.

"Does he know?"

"No. He was never told. He may have researched it, but those files are protected by Mom. She does keep in contact and, when our children are born she will return to duty, helping us raise our children. Of course she will have her own as well."

"Huh. I never would have figured honestly. Especially with how monsters were looked upon in Mewni until recently."

"Yes, it wasn't good. That was one of the reasons Babs jumped on when Queen Moon laid out her plan. She fully intended to use it solely as leverage to get monsters to be citizens so she could be with her current husband."

"Wait, what? But, chronologically it doesn't make sense!"

"How so?"

"Well, obviously King Kor is Petunia's father-" The couple's eyes went wide immediately. Star noticed and realized she was onto something. "But, if she was looking to marry him then, that means she wasn't married at the time. So, who's Reign's father?" Both adults couldn't move. Their brains were on high gear to try and get out of this question, right up until Gorbin looked at Star, an intense expression Star knew too well. It was the same one Toffee gave Marco when he started asking about how they took back the country from Etheria.

"I'm sorry Star, we've said too much. Please, forget this for now. It's not a story we can tell." Star normally would have dropped it, but perhaps being back on Earth made her more reckless and loose.

"Look here. There are so many stories you've said aren't for you to say, that now I am sure most of your history is locked in some vault. What is going on?"

"... You got one point wrong. It's the same story." Star blinked in confusion as Gorbin took the scissors and opened a portal. "Now come along. You won't be getting your answer from me. It's not my answer to give. And the same can be said for the rest of us. I'm truly sorry." Star felt her anger rise, then abate completely as Gorbin cracked at the end. He almost seemed in tears. She silently walked through the portal, and back to the kingdom.

\--

"So, we've learned a few things." Marco stood at the end of the room, anger flowing through him.

"Yes. His father is involved, and either he was a king who was erased, or Reign is, a sort of bastard child." Star said solemnly.

"Well, unfortunately my sources while not contradictory, paint Reign as pretty horrible. From what I've gathered he's worse than Torro to girls and some say he's going around abusing his authority to spend alone time with young girls."

"Well, I can say my sources call that bs, but they believe he's biding his time for something. Rumors among the servants about your wedding has spread and they're worrying he had a mind control power and is using it on you guys to take the throne."

"Speaking to Aria didn't expose too much. Only that since before he was born people called for his abortion, and the council has heard execution hearings on him since he was four. It was something I actually did verify with their records. Even Gorbin was an accuser at one point." The room turned wide-eyed towards Jackie. "Yeah. Reign was seven. It was dropped and he tried again every year until about three years ago."

"Okay, Marco, Janna, your threads don't explain that in anyway. Seriously, what the fuck. Who tries to execute a small child like that? That's the kind of shit they pulled on me, and it was pretty easy to figure out why!"

"I don't know Star. I really don't. No one said anything about them."

"Yeah girl, I got nothing. And I already called Tom, he's got some leads, but no information he can verify yet. We'll have to wait on him."

"All I can say, is he's either a savior, or a destroyer waiting to act, and all it depends on, is who you ask."

"Well, I have one lead we need to check out now."

"Janna, why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"Cause while I'm sneaking us over to look I can't check out your hot bod."

"Janna, this is serious. Oggling Marco can wait until after we get through what we can tonight."

"Jackie, that's like saying wait until he's married to fuck him, and while he can't be with Star, well, he's got some openings girl."

"He's with Star Janna. I'm not gonna fuck my best friend's boyfriend?"

"But you will masturbate to him." Jackie and Marco went very red as Jackie threw herself across the room. She would have attacked Janna if not for Star.

"Can it you two. First, Marco is mine. You can masturbate or whatever, as long as Marco only fucks me. Second, we have things to do so I can fuck my boyfriend. Seriously, I'm getting close to my next cycle and I am actually ready to have my first time." The four stopped fighting. Two girls reluctantly made up, one girl was now very unhappy, and the boy was so red he looked like an overgrown tomato. "Let's just get a move on before this gets worse, okay?" The trio nodded. "Good. Now, what's this lead?"

"Apparently, someone is attempting to assassinate Reign." The group now stared slack jawed at Janna. "In my defense, it would get you out of marrying him."

"And stuck with Torro."

"Oh, right. Good point. Well, a large amount of poison was moved into the castle, but the count and manifest doesn't match up. It's always been a small discrepancy, but overtime, it's a lethal dose for one person. The problem is, who is using the poison, and on who?"

"Why do they even store it?"

"Apparently it can be used to make a good medicine that works a lot like penicillin on Earth. However, you have to get the concentration right."

"So, what's the proof someone is getting assassinated?"

"... Well, the maid I took over for has a reputation for being anti-Reign. So while talking to another maid, and loosening her lips with some alcohol, she spilled the beans. Someone with actual power is trying to kill Reign by slowly poisoning him. And thanks to you being with Gorbin and Desir gushing about babies all day Star, I got to spend time with Reign once my castle duties were complete. Dude coughs up blood." Star looked at Janna shocked.

"But, he didn't cough hardly at all yesterday."

"He took a cough suppressant most likely. He even remarked today was particularly bad. Asked him about it and he chuckled. I think he knew I knew it was fake. So I think he might know the maid I replaced is his enemy."

"Then we'll have to solve this."

"But Star, it could backfire on us. If we catch this person it may be seen as you wanting your 'lover' *ugh* to stay alive and by your side."

"And if I don't it wouldn't be hard to insinuate the recently visiting princess, who happens to be a monster, was behind it. It could end up that the treaty is broken or worse, monster rights get ended. It's better to try and save that. Even if it makes it harder to escape this marriage."

"Spoken like a true queen Star. Now come on, we gotta find this before your 'betrothed' dies on us." Janna smirked for a moment before turning serious. Star outwardly glared but internally, she couldn't be more proud. Buff Frog had taught her his spying tricks and while they had helped finding out what Mina had been up to, she had to say this might be her greatest work yet. Assuming the wedding is foiled.

"Let's go." Star looked over at her confident man and smiled. With Marco and Janna, Star knew she was in good hands.

"What about me? What should I do?" Star looked over to Jackie. She seemed dejected and suddenly, Star remembered why. Jackie had tried to spy on the Magic High Commission who was believed to be in league with Mina and got caught listening in. She had nearly cost them victory when she was used as a bargaining chip for the wand. But thankfully, Jackie simply looked determined and not deterred.

"Well, Reign might need someone to lookout for him while we're looking for the missing medicine. Janna, how fast acting is the poison?"

"Slow. More than likely this is a long term poisoning project. Probably at least six months from the start before it becomes fatal if you want to remain undetected. And it would have to be consistent. From the signs it's been going on a while already, probably about four months."

"Okay, then Jackie can pull double duty as distraction to make sure Reign doesn't try to talk to me, and to note anyone bringing him a late snack or drink."

"Gotcha. I'll say I'm talking to him regarding the monster laws, specifically about labor since a portion of the workers would be monsters for the circuses both in building and in entertaining."

"Perfect. Jackie should go either before or after us."

"After. You all need time and not having you guys to talk to is as good an excuse as any."

"Okay. Give us a few minutes. And Janna, lead the way. At worst, we can say we're on a small tour of the castle." The group nodded and Jackie watched as the trio left. She smiled sadly at watching them leave without her, but that disappeared when she remembered Marco's words to her.

"No one can do everything, I just have to do what they cannot." She smiled more powerfully before her thoughts settled on the boy himself. Looking around she saw multiple pictures, each one a memory of Star's. All of them including him. She felt her heart sink again. She knew she had a crush on him. She knew that before Star, he had one for her too. She had a plan to ask him out that fateful weekend, but Star had him around her finger day one. Jackie had originally been angrily jealous, but when she spilled her past thanks to that stupid box at their first sleepover, Jackie realized she didn't have everything. She was just another girl in a different outfit. She darted her eyes away from the picture. She knew what she had to do, her friends came before her regrets. She stood tall, put on her relaxed face, and walked outside the room.

Her journey wasn't all that long. Reign was apparently in his study which, while further away than his room, was not even a four minute walk away. When she arrived, she found no guard posted. There were a few on the way, but the hallway itself was empty. Only holding six doors. She walked up to one and knocked, a familiar female voice answered.

"Yes?"

"Oh, sorry Babsi- I mean, Babs. It's Jackie. I had a few questions for Reign and heard he was in his study." Babs laughed a little.

"Quite alright dear, it can be confusing until you learn. His is right next door."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Not a problem dear." The voice went silent and Jackie moved to the next door down, knocking.

"Yes?"

"Hi Prince Reign, it's Jackie. I had a few questions to ask you if you don't mind." Jackie heard no response for a moment before Reign spoke.

"Okay. Come on in. But especially here, just call me Reign, Jackie." Jackie nervously opened the door to find a pleasant sight. It was a study outside of a cartoon. A warm fireplace surrounded by books upon books. In front of it were two chairs, one occupied by a figure under a blanket, one open. "Please, have a seat." Jackie walked over and sat in the chair. She could feel it shift and change for a moment before becoming incredibly comfortable, causing Jackie to let out a small moan. "First time on a Form Chair?" Jackie's eyes snapped open as she realized what she had done. "Don't fret. They aren't exactly common yet, but they are a marvel of magic and technology working in tandem. A sight for the future we wish to see."

"Well, it is very comfortable. And your study is lovely."

"It is nice. Truth be told I would prefer the books be of broader topics but, it'll do. Do you want anything to eat, I have some cookies I helped Petunia bake earlier and if you want something to drink I have some cold beverages."

"Oh, no thank you. Too many sweets isn't good for my figure or my health and as for drinks, I'll have some water." Reign chuckled as he stood up, gingerly. Jackie instantly saw he was in very casual wear. Be wore seafoam green pajamas that were definitely too small for him, and Jackie felt herself flush as she realized he was actually really toned.

"Like what you see?" Jackie realized she was staring and forced herself away, the image burned into her eyes for a moment. "Nothing to be ashamed about. My body is sculpted into a damn fine shape. Won the lottery on that one. Not that I don't watch what I eat mind you."

"Um, well, I, uh."

"Haha. I see you're a little flustered. Cute." Jackie heard a glass being sat down on her chair. She returned to normal slowly as she heard him messing with his sheets. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Jackie took a few deep breaths to steady herself. She had to repress her baser instincts completely and go with the plan.

"Well, I was concerned with the law in building up skateparks and circuses, as well as employment opportunities at these places, and in the future possible Earth style amusement parks."

"Okay. I can see why you came to me instead of Aria. So, your concerns I assume would involve their eligibility to work both in construction and in the actual performances, as well as peripheral businesses like food stands and the like."

"As well as admission allowances at said events as well as how it should be handled with, say, larger monsters who may obstruct the view for those sitting behind them."

"Hmmm. Those two should probably wait until we can get Aria in on this. She has more insight on solutions for those matters, the rest however, let's talk about those." Jackie smiled and began to go through a few scenarios. All according to plan.

\--

"That's the fourth storage and everything checks out. Maybe they aren't storing things in the castle itself?"

"No Marco. It was inventoried correctly at first but found missing afterwords, and I did the inventory when it came in. Got an earful when it was found missing, but they also mentioned how it keeps happening."

"Wait, Janna, this isn't to clear your rep-"

"No Star. It's been going on for years. It shouldn't be held against me. I'm honestly certain they were upset at the situation and not me directly."

"Well, okay. But if it's been years then they probably aren't stashing it where people normally go."

"My thoughts too, so I've been checking for a hidden way out of each room. And we've found one."

"Wait, you found one Janna?"

"Yes. But it lead to the hallway outside from above. Not a likely escape route."

"Maybe it's a larger operation."

"Huh?"

"Well, you suggested we check the four rooms that always come up short, maybe someone is moving inventory and making it look like these rooms are short when some other room is their transport room." Star grew frustrated at Marco's words and walked towards a hallway wall.

"Shit, that's good. But that means it could be anywhere!"

"No, it could be in the fifth and final storage room. And it isn't too far from here. It should be just as easy to enter too." The group nodded and took the minute walk to the final storage room. Like the others. A single guard stood in the room proper, but this one seemed more alert. With the others Star simply slept them with spells for a minute or two, but this one seemed too alert and the patrolling guards too close to go with the normal strategy.

"Damn it. We were so close. But I can't think of a way in that doesn't get us implicated into this scheme."

"Don't give up Marco. The Princess surely has a spell for this."

"No Janna. Using magic too much is a bad idea and I've already used it four times. And if he screams it could be a moot point. It's hopeless for the ni-GHT!" Star had set against a wall and immediately fell through.

"Nice going. You found a hidden passage." Janna walked over to Star and helped her up as Marco trailed behind. The door closed behind them and a series of torches began to light up.

"Great. I don't want to overuse magic, and here are magically lit torches." Star began to simmer as she began to sniff the air. She fell to all fours and began sniffing around, noting a familiar smell.

"I think the medicine went up the stairs."

"That's great Star. Now let's go!" Marco whispered. The trio headed up, following the path before them.

\--

"And that's why we can't allow slime monsters into most parts of an amusement park as you've described them."

"Hmmm. I really need a work around. Maybe there's something about them we don't know. The princess of the Spiderbite Kingdom is dating one so maybe we can talk to him for advice."

"That's good thinking Jackie, and yes, maybe there is something we're missing. In the meantime, that's about the end of that for now. And to be honest, I'm impressed."

"About my ability to find solutions to problems?"

"That too, but I meant on your distraction capabilities." Jackie went silent, feigning hurt at his words. "Come now, you came to my private study, where I relax in solitude, to bother me about monster law when you discussed part of this with Aria just this morning? I think not. I think you're distracting me from something Star is up to." Jackie did her best, but knew she was giving herself away now. "It's fine. But she should know she doesn't need to keep me away to go on a date with Marco."

"Uh, yeah. I guess it is rather silly, huh?"

"So that wasn't it." Jackie froze again. "Look. While I am more than willing to stay in this, I gotta know what they're hiding. Cause if it was elsewhere then they wouldn't be sending you, they could use Marco's scissors and be wherever. So what are they up to in the castle. Following a mystery?"

"... Yes." Jackie realized it was impossible to lie about everything. She had to improve her acting though and keep him off balance.

"Is it about the person trying to kill me with Regold?" Jackie looked in utter shock as Reign smiled. "Well it is a big mystery."

"How do you know about it and let it happen?"

"Easy. We haven't figured out who's behind it. Until then it's better to let them play their hand. I identified the poison when they started putting it in my tea. But we don't know how they got it without anyone knowing, who's involved, or what their goal is."

"But, it's going to kill you soon."

"Yeah, and that would be bad for Star but if I were to leave the country for a week, I'd mostly recover."

"Why put yourself through all of this?" Jackie immediately regretted the question as Reign's eyes went dark. His look reminded her of Star on the day they thought Marco had died fighting Meteora.

"Sorry. That's not something to say in warm company." Jackie felt the urge to hug him rise within her. She remembered visibly how devastated Star was, but she remained down. It was not her place to comfort him. "Still. It's best to figure out if it's a solo attempt or if someone is after the family."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a vague way to put it is like this, it's a game for the throne. While succession is set in stone now, that doesn't mean you can't skip a few numbers by, removing the people. I'm not very popular so I'm a usual first target."

"But, your family seems so close. Why would they kill you?" Reign chuckled, then began to laugh hysterically. Jackie was stunned. He found it hilarious that she thought so highly of his family.

"Sorry, that's not funny for you but my goodness it's hilarious for me. Oh man. But on a serious note, just because the succession is clear doesn't mean only those in line can play the game. Many nobles and outside interests want to control who has power in the kingdom and the best way is to make sure only your candidate has a legitimate line to the throne. Even if I may not be high on the list, I'm a legitimate heir. Meaning I'm a threat. Plenty of people want me dead. Plenty want Gorbin dead. And for the record, mom has one sibling, but she wasn't first in line for the throne until it was just her and uncle."

"Is Star at risk?" Reign was taken aback. He knew to expect something, but the sheer anger in her tone was new for Jackie.

"No. Killing royalty while a crime, is usually overlooked by the one sitting on the throne. Killing foreign royalty, especially a new ally who removes a possible heir from the list would be foolhardy."

"Then your odds of survival go up."

"Nope. Instead I'm about the same. If you want Petunia on the throne killing me right now is an easy way to force Torro out of the picture while killing the least popular heir. If anything, my life is in more danger, but killing Star is just plain stupidity."

"... Is that why they cheered after they announced your leaving the kingdom as a former heir?"

"Yes. It's like being handed a golden egg. Kill me without being caught, win three times. It's, wonderful, to be popular." He laughed, but it was so hollow, Jackie couldn't help but feel horrible. But as the laugh stopped he took a deep breath in. "Obviously, most of this stays here, locked away in our heads, though I suspect you're going to tell Star, Marco, and, Janna I believe her name was." Jackie felt icy fear again. How much did he know? "That one is clever if my sources are to be believed. Wonder how much of a problem she'd be for our spymaster to find." Jackie relaxed, feeling his jovial nature she figured he knew nothing, yet.

"Heh. She is pretty talented. She isn't spymaster of The Underworld yet, but I don't see her as being too far from it."

"Haha. I'll look forward to meeting her then. I just wish she could be here finding out who this assassin is."

"Well, I could see if she's available."

"It's fine for now. Though, should I be found dead I'd recommend it." Jackie was starting to feel really disturbed.

"Come on dude. Surely you aren't planning on dying anytime soon."

"I've learned never to take that for granted. I've had quite a few assassins after me already, and I doubt even after the throne is settled I'll be out of the woods."

"Well, not knowing why won't help you. After all-"

"Sorry Jackie. I just, don't want to talk about it yet. I don't want to drag anything or anyone down into the mud right now." Jackie felt the finality in his words. She would make no progress if she pushed him further, but that didn't mean she couldn't earn a few points to get him to open up more.

"Well, that's fine. Just know that if you need an ear or advice, I'm available. You seem like a nice guy, you just have some heavy baggage in your head."

"Sorry, that saying escapes me."

"You have a lot on your mind. You have a lot to worry about and really no one to rely on. If you want, we can just talk and get things off your mind for a moment some days. Just like today." Reign went silent for a moment before chuckling. Jackie almost felt like he was on the verge of tears.

"Sure thing. It might just be something I really needed." Jackie smiled, hoping Star was having just as much of a breakthrough.

\--

"They just keep getting back up!" Marco punched another man in the gut as he backed away towards Star and Janna who were busy dealing with their own problems. Star was currently blasting soldiers with her spells one after another, dealing with a seemingly relentless batch of soldiers.

"Hurry up Janna!"

"Well sorry. How was I supposed to know the difference between-"

"Less talky more chanting!" Janna rolled her eyes and looked through her book, trying yet another chant."

"Take now what has been given. Leave now the path forbidden. Grant me solace of these tidings. Feel the power of my bindings!" Her body flared red as the men fell to the ground unconscious. "Okay. We're under control."

"Seriously Janna. We ruined our best case thanks to you wanting to try a demon spell. Just look at this mess. They might rope us into this somehow!"

"Relax. We just need to report this asap and we win."

"You nearly got Star killed!"

"Okay okay. I'm sorry. I'll stick to what I know from now on." Janna closed the little book in her hand, the thing disappearing in a puff of fire. "Now, we have to inform the Royal guards so they can-"

"Catch you you little liar." Janna's eyes went wide as she turned around. Behind her was a maid who looked just like her. The one she replaced. Janna was now very happy to not be in her outfit right then.

"You were alive? But, your pulse went to zero."

"Yes. I can drop my pulse to zero for sixty seconds. I was planning on feigning my death to directly assassinate that blasted prince, but then you showed up and ruined my plan."

"If you've been poisoning him for years, why not just let it finish?"

"I've given him a dose capable of killing full grown men in a half-year. He's survived three! That, thing must die!" Star shelved the thought for later and aimed her hand at the woman.

"Stand down and surrender. There is no victory for you here." The woman smiled as the sound of armor behind her grew.

"They're planning to assassinate the prince!" The sound of armor suddenly increased as several knights in iron armor rushed in. They pointed their spears straight ahead and Marco's words came back to her. This was not what they needed right now.

"Good work maid, now stand aside, we have-"

"That won't be necessary." The speaking knight and maid went white as from behind them Babs, Toffee, and General Forden walked up.

"My Queen, what brings you down here?"

"A tip from Janna Ordonia, ally of Mewni and courter of Prince Thomas Lucitor." Star and Marco looked at Janna who was smiling smugly. As exhausted as they were, Janna's unknown gamble had paid off.

"How did-"

"Not the time Marco." Marco nodded as the tension continued to thicken.

"Well your highness, it appears-"

"I'm not an idiot sergeant. There is no way Princess Star Butterfly or Sir Marco Diaz would be plotting against him before they even knew he existed." Some of the guards began to turn their spears as Babs's eyes turned a golden yellow. "Don't compound your stupidity." The Knights on some unseen signal suddenly charged the group, but found nothing but air. Toffee had ducked and weaved towards where Star was, slashing at armor straps as he went, Fordin drew his sword and began to parry and strike at his opponents, effortlessly hitting the joints of their armor, and dispatching them from the fight as they realized they had no chance. Babs meanwhile was simply walking forward, just barely moving her body out of the way of various attacks, just narrowly dodging everything while occasionally making the knights hit each other, or stabbing them herself with a small, ornate dagger. The trio watched in amazement as a group of forty or more guards were taken out effortlessly.

"S-stop them! They're two old men and an old hag!" Babs was now in front of the sergeant, pointing her knife at him.

"Kneel, or die in shame." After a moment she sighed, just then the man brought his sword from its scabbard and sliced at the air in a fast motion, Marco watched in a mixture of amazement, and horror. A moment passed before the man fell over dead. Babs standing there covered in a miniscule amount of blood. She looked around the room as some of the knights began to throw down their weapons. Toffee reached Star, having disarmed multiple knights himself, and Fordin stood at the doorway, not a spec of blood on his body as he surveyed the battlefield.

"I'll summon the Royal Guard now your majesties." Fordin bowed as he left, Toffee looking over Star for any sign of lingering injury, thankfully finding none.

"That was very reckless! You should have contacted me directly instead of having your friend do it."

"I'm sorry dad. I left my compact in my room. I am surprised you got here so quickly though."

"Indeed. When I got the message I hurried over immediately, Moon should also be here soon. We were terribly worried. Please, just please, promise me you'll stay out of the line of fire next time."

"I promise daddy. I'll-" At that moment a portal opened up in the room, Moon in her butterfly form stepping out. She was ragged and covered in mud.

"I swear if one hair is harmed on my child I'll vaporize all of you." Her voice was low, but carried such authority in the tone that Star felt certain even the dead were frightened.

"She's unharmed Moonlight. I've looked her over myself. And the situation is under control now." Moon flew towards her daughter and embraced her with all six of her arms. Slowly the form faded and she stood there with two arms, holding her daughter close as she looked over to Babs.

"We need to talk." Babs simply nodded as Gordon returned with several white-armored knights.

"Take the knights and the passed out maid into custody. The dead take to the morgue. They are criminals who plotted against your commander, and our allies, so if you must be rough, remember not to kill them. Also secure the medicine and compare it to the ledgers. Let's find out how much is missing still." The knights saluted and went to work as Fordin and Babs approached the Mewni group.

"Please, let's go talk somewhere more, appropriate."

"Yes. Let's." The tone Moon had had not changed a bit. Babs now seriously wondered what would happen next.

\--

Star, Jackie, Janna, and Marco now sat in Star's room, the meeting having ended poorly. When Jackie had arrived back to the room she noticed she had a text from Marco stating they were fine, but would be back really late. It was currently midnight and no one could believe everything that had happened.

"To think they'd go so far as to have the town guard involved."

"Marco, after all we've seen and heard, I don't think there is any surprises anymore when it comes to the hoops people jump through to kill Reign. It's just lucky he had a high tolerance to the medicine or he'd be dead."

"Yeah Marco. Jackie's right. He's been decent, but who knows what he's really like. For all we know the rumors about him being some sort of shadow ruler controlling his mom like a puppet could be true."

"Janna, that's a little ridiculous, but you are right in the fact that after two days, we really have only learned how little we know about him and his family. They keep so much in the dark even from Star and she's supposed to become family. And who's to say he doesn't have some plan to take both thrones? We don't know his ability, and there are enough rumors to sink a ship."

"We have a hint Marco."

"Star?"

"That maid claimed he had been poisoned heavily for years, and from a few other stories I've heard it isn't the first time. He's been the target of so many assassinations that by now someone should have found a poison that works, but he's only gotten severely ill twice. I think his ability is a high poison tolerance or something."

"That makes sense, but after what Moon said, I doubt we'll have the ability to figure much out on our own for a little while. And Tom has said he's still following the trail he found and it seems to be a good one. If it pans out we'll know why his people want him dead so badly, even if it isn't the detailed version."

"Nice one Janna. But still, to think he knew about the attempt and still couldn't pinpoint it."

"Yeah, if he hadn't taken the poison, or if we hadn't intervened, he'd probably be dead. Or worse."

"I don't think so."

"Jackie?"

"When I was talking to him he seemed just fine, but thanks to his outfit I could see a few scars. I don't think he's head of the Royal Guard just because he's a prince."

"You think he's fought real fights? Come on. It's not like he's Star. He's got guards all the time."

"Marco, he's more ripped than you are, and you know there were a lot of guards attacking you guys downstairs. It shouldn't have been hard to get an assassin into the middle of a bunch of complacent guards to attack him and have assistance from guards who would say the assassin tricked them."

"Okay, fair point. But our investigations are put on hold for now as the four of us are under house arrest."

"Yeah. House arrest in Casa de Lucitor."

"Janna, stop it."

"Dude, relax. Star isn't dating Tom, I am. Now we need a new route to gather information."

"Yeah, you guys didn't tell me what restrictions we now have." The trio looked apologetically to Jackie. Though she was well out of danger she was placed under the same restrictions as the others even though she spent all three hours of their escapade and meeting sitting and talking with Reign.

"Okay, first, we are required to have an escort outside the castle or inside the castle if it's after dark. Second, we are not allowed to question people or, in someone's case, torture them, to find out Reign's past, at least for the trip. Third, we must be properly dressed if we leave our rooms."

"Wait, why that one?"

"Jackie was still in her pjs when she met with Reign. Babs was worried she was sent to seduce him when she heard from one of the guards that she was looking for him in such attire."

"Jackie…. Good job girl." Jackie blushed and glared angrily at Janna while Janna just smirked. " I'd have gone naked with a body like yours but-"

"Not. Another. Word." Janna backed off a little as one of Jackie's few sore spots got picked.

"Okay. Moving on, fourth, when we get back to the castle we will have chores to do for a week. Fifth, after a week… Reign will be visiting our castle the week after that. Finally, for the remainder of our stay mom has placed a tracker spell on us to see if we disobey her commands."

"Great. Then we need someone discreet who can do some digging for us since we're indisposed for now."

"What about Buff Frog. He can probably get some good info for us. He'd have the perfect target too."

"You can't mean-"

"Ampha. She seems to know a lot and with all this we may be able to convince her. Especially if we bring a wonderful man around to loosen her lips."

" … I'll do what I can to get him here to help. But for now, let's get some sleep. It's late and-"

"Commander Reign, it's a code seven!" A woman yelled from just down the hall near where Reign's room was. The four immediately cozied up to the door and listened intently.

"What! How did- No, not important. Get the reserves and begin procedures. Make sure to post a few extra guards up here, preferably female for Star."

"At once. What should we say if she asks?"

"... The truth. Lying won't help but no matter what she doesn't leave until daybreak, got it?"

"Sir!" Star, Marco, Jackie and Janna looked at each other puzzled. It wasn't until the room began to glow red that they realized what was happening. They looked outside the balcony to see the source.

The monster district was burning.


	3. Monstar Fire

"Star, wake up." Star opened her eyes. She looked on at Marco and Jackie looking at her worriedly. "Star, it's morning. We can move about again." Star began to remember the previous night, suddenly jumping up when she remembered why she had fallen back asleep. Both Jackie and Marco looked away, light blushes on their faces as Star began to frantically run around getting dressed.

"Are preparations complete?"

"Janna set them in motion at daybreak. We've got the final okay now, but we do have to go to a small meeting in the dining hall before we leave out. It's in about ten minutes."

"Why wake me now instead of earlier?"

"We did. You cleaned up then went back to bed." Star suddenly remembered that part. She blushed as she remembered Jackie and Janna hopping in the shower with her to speed up their cleaning.

"Oh right. And I went back to sleep when Janna left because they said the situation wasn't under control quite yet."

"Yeah. Now we just need you to be done and we can go." Star looked in the mirror at her outfit, a semi-formal blue dress as she turned around and realized Jackie was formally dressed in an outfit not unlike her father's, and Marco was in his combat hoodie which had chainmail attached underneath.

"Good. We'd best move fast then. I want to know the full situation yesterday." The group nodded and quickly walked down to the dining hall, Marco and Jackie being stopped at the usual side entrance as only Star was allowed inside. Star gave them a strong smile and entered, finding Kor'teh, Gorbin, Babs, and a very exhausted Torro were already gathered with a few armored men. Two in iron, one in white.

"Good morning Princess Star. Sorry to make you wait until now, but we didn't have a handle on anything sooner, not to mention your temporary curfew." Gorbin had actually stood and bowed a bit as he spoke, signaling to Star this was to be a very formal meeting.

"Tis no trouble Prince Gorbin. I do hope I haven't made anyone wait long with my delay in getting down here."

"We're still waiting on the brat so-"

"Captain Reld! Please show the prince some respect!"

"Bah, he's a good for nothing."

"Sir Reld. Please. You're lucky this isn't a meeting I can throw you out of. Yet."

"... My apologies my Queen." The man stopped talking and Star suddenly realized he and the man next to him were both wearing their helmets still. She thought poorly of it as the white armored man stood up.

"I'm sorry about that display your highness. I am Captain Martin Briggs of the Royal Guard. Second to my Commander Prince Reign." The man bowed, Star seeing his helmet on the nearby table, allowing his silky blonde hair to flow around his face. Star noted he was rather attractive as she curtsied in response.

"It is of no problem and it is wonderful to make your acquaintance Captain Martin." Star was shortly afterwords directed to an empty pair of seats next to Gorbin. A minute later, the door opened and Star watched a man in white armor enter.

"I have returned from the field, my Queen." Star could barely contain her shock. The voice only belonged to one person and she did not think she would see him in such armor.

"Welcome back my son. Tell me, what seems to have occurred?" Star almost stared incredulously as the man took off his helmet to reveal a very tired-looking Reign. His hair dripping in sweat, and his face partially covered in soot. She didn't believe he would ever be near the front lines, but here he was.

"Yes, your majesty. From what eyewitness accounts tell, and as admitted by all involved, it began at the pub just on the outskirts of the district."

"The Shelter right?"

"The very same one Prince Torro. A monster, name redacted, and off duty town guard, name redacted, were having a drinking contest. All was friendly until the guard passed out and knocked off a candle. No one thought much about it but a dropped pitcher of beer from a few minutes prior was in the candle's landing zone. It only took a minute or two for the place to be ablaze. The guard, to his full credit, remained calm whem he woke up and ensured everyone made it out safely, mewman and monster alike, before he fell to the drink again. He is currently being treated for a few burns and for investigation by his commanding officer. Thankfully the street design from earlier days meant that the flames couldn't pass in the direction of the prevailing winds towards the market district, but they spread rapidly to a few neighbouring businesses anyway. The guard arrived within ten minutes and began to put out the fire. It was around this time I was alerted to the emergency. Upon arrival we noted that the fire was too big for our current forces to save the structures on fire, but spread was contained within twenty minutes of arrival. So far only three casualties are confirmed. Two mewman, one monster."

"A tragedy."

"For the monster yes. The as-of-yet unidentified monster was reported to have been to enfeebled by age to escape the fire before the smoke took him down. The mewmans appear to have been looters who perished from falling debris as the fire was dying down and the guard was still unable to get close."

"How verifiable are these reports?" Captain Reld stood and saluted as he spoke.

"My Queen, these reports can be verified by myself for the mewmans, they were unburned yet were found dead underneath some debris, and as for the monster Sergeant Merot here can attest for the medical examination done by the coroner."

"How many injured?"

"Twelve and counting. So far, nothing else major."

"Anything else to report?"

"Nothing at this time. Town guard Sargeant Merot was tasked with leading the Guard in their duties on the scene. He was the only ranking guard to appear and thus I brought him to this meeting."

"I see. Be at ease Commander, it's been a rough night, so go ahead and sleep. Food will be prepared upon your awakening." Reign saluted and left via the main doorway, Star feeling awkward at the very formal tone the conversation had, and noting how he never acknowledged her presence, nor took the empty seat next to her.

"Seems we have our work cut out for us. Captain Reld, thoughts?"

"We must prepare lodging for those who lost their homes and compensation for those who lost their businesses. However rebuilding may be a problem as the repair budget has been mostly spoken for for the quarter. Truth be told we can't actually afford it, but we can't let a citizen be punished for the mistakes of others. How shall I punish my man should he be found at fault for the incident in the formal inquery?"

"Should he be found guilty for negligence, demotion and unpaid leave. Should it truly be just an accident either by itself will suffice."

"It shall be done."

"Good. Gorbin, what is the state of the disaster funds?"

"Plentiful. We have been low on disasters this year so there is extra money available right now."

"Good. How about your ears Torro, any word?"

"Mostly the same as our other two reports. Had two off duties at the scene who told me the same story. One on duty adds that the guard apparently wanted to ask out a waitress there. Never did. Otherwise nothing to report."

"That's good. My King, I have to deal with moving the money from the disaster fund to help the displaced monsters, and I need Gorbin's help to get it done quickly. I need you to go in our place to show the Royal Family is there for them."

"Indeed. Princess Star, I have been made aware of your wishes. Would you like to join me?"

"I would. May I take an escort?"

"Yes. Marco may come as a guard and Lady Jackie I hear is very good at being an emotional support so having her around could prove useful. As for Janna her skills are unnecessary. I'm afraid she should remain here for now, though her help in getting all the stories straight with these two incidents has been a blessing." Star nodded and as the meeting dragged on, she felt something was off. Then it hit her, they treated monsters equally without so much as an angry tone. She began to note how even the town guard was trying to be polite towards their problems in the face of such a disaster. She couldn't help but smile, right until the end.

"Okay. We have our plans of action. Let's all commence the recovery effort. Reports are to be submitted in the coming days. Let's get this right." The room gave a cheer of unanimity as they all rose to their feet. Babs looked at Star and smiled dearly. "And do be careful. I know most will be supportive, but we must steel our hearts in the face of disaster." Star gave an enthusiastic nod as she felt a welling of hope rise within. "Oh, and feel free to change into something more casual, a dress can get caught on rubble." Star smiled a bit at the Queen as she herself nodded and turned towards a door off to the side, opposite where Star entered from. She watched as Babs disappeared then noted the room had mostly cleared out.

"Well Princess, I think it time we go and get ready to get dirty. Do you have much in the way of formal clothes meant to be ruined?"

"Yes King Kor'teh. Though please, call me Star."

"And please, call me Kor. Like my wife I hate overly formal speak when it is unnecessary. Now, let's go." He briskly led the way back, Marco and Jackie joining with as the two summarized everything. Apparently the only reason Jackie and Marco were barred was to keep the meeting small in case something big, like a rebellion or terror attack had occurred. Now it was free game as Star and Jackie quickly walked inside their room and changed into clothes meant to get dirty. Star chose to wear jeans and a tight white shirt with Jackie following suit. Star left her crown on and, despite Jackie's insistence otherwise, hid her wand in her hair. Better safe than sorry. The two hurried out, grabbed Marco, and began to make their way out of the castle.

"Okay. So we will meet our escorts at the door, Reign prepared a few for each of us, so we'll always have two guards. Marco, you will have one guard assigned to help you guard Star. Normally we'd prefer it heavier, but this time we are near an outpost so more guards are available to keep watch in the area in general. The overall plan is to provide emotional support, though feel free to help as you see fit. Just make sure not to endanger yourselves." The group gave their consents, Marco a little sad he wouldn't get some alone time with Star, as Star focused on her own mission. Gone were thoughts about Reign. This was about her people. About monsters.

\--

Star arrived on the scene to see the devastation she had come to expect. Several blocks of buildings had burned down to the ground and maybe fifty guards were working to help several hundred civilians walking around. She felt pangs in her heart as she saw four bodies on the ground under sheets. Her attention was drawn away as a white-armored guard approached.

"King Kor'teh, welcome to the disaster site. Area is secure at this time."

"Good. There's a fourth victim?"

"No, there's four more. Several started feeling ill about twenty minutes ago and those under the tarps have fallen dead since. The rest seem to be recovering. We have no leads on a cause."

"Were all four in the same location?"

"Yes. All afflicted were in the same area. Why do you ask Sir…?"

"He is Sir Marco of Earth. Now please answer the question."

"Yes my liege. All afflicted were in the same location, three of the fatalities were there before the illness started, and the fourth was a guard who went to retrieve the bodies. A few people reported symptoms away from the site. They are currently being monitored."

"Were these people down wind?"

"Yes sir."

"Probably a gas leak of some kind. Best to stay away for now. I can get some equipment from Earth later to investigate what can be done about it." The guards and Kor looked in awe at their hero as he proudly talked about how he was planning to help. But one in particular was unimpressed.

"Look here young knight. I don't know what your Earth stuff will do, but we can just do a cleansing ritual and get the job done all the same." The knight in question was Kor's, and Star felt a twinge of anger at his words.

"Overruled. I'd like to see what this Earth technology can do first, then we can fall back to other methods."

"As you wish my King." Star smiled a little as Joe put the knight in his place, the knight in question initially glared at Marco, but dropped it after a moment. As her attention returned to normal, she noted a small gathering. Kor broke into a strong, yet kind, smile and began to walk forward, his guard trailing just behind. In moments he was down with the people, talking with any who approached regardless of race, status, or age. A few mewman children even approached asking him to help their monster friends who lost their homes, forcing Star to speak up as joy flooded her heart.

"Of course we are gonna help them. All the victims will have our aid. I swear upon my name as Star Butterfly of the kingdom of Mewni" She smiled as the children's eyes went wide. Soon a small crowd was gathering around her as well as word spread of their arrival. Marco watched on but realizing there were several guards watching over Star, left the guarding to the guards, both brought and already present and portaled home to gather some gadgets. Star saw him sign his intent and raised her guard. She had seen the people turn on Reign and Kor in a heartbeat, and she certainly wasn't going to let it repeat on her if she could help it.

Soon she and Kor headed for the areas still being searched, intent on using their abilities to help still more people while Jackie stayed behind to help the people cope with the destruction and lessen the impact on them. Between Star's nose and his ears, close to twenty people were pulled out of the rubble by the time Marco returned, gear in hand.

"I brought the supplies."

"Tell me sir Marco, what kind of- *grah!* - supplies are they?" Kor asked while helping to move a large wooden beam off of an unconscious mewman.

"I brought a mask with an oxygen tank to create a separate air supply, and a gas reader to see if there is something in the air. I have it turned off right now, but it should be able to see if there is something in the air harming people." Marco smiled as Kor approached. He and Star were now preparing him with the mask, a scuba design she remembered from a fun trip a few weeks prior that allows one to speak underwater.

"That's certainly a strange contraption. Your sure they work?"

"As sure as you having seen a picture of your granddaughters." Kor smiled at the memory as he waved them on. A guard approached him and in moments the two were off. Star felt a moment of loneliness as he left again, not really missing him before due to the situation.

"He's a wonderful boy. He'll make some girl really happy in the future." Star grew saddened, but after a moment she knew she had to bury the feeling. Her future wasn't in stone yet. She could still get free, but that was for later. For now, her people needed help.

\--

"Good work everyone." Kor said in the nearby barrack's mess hall. He was beaming wildly as several guards cheered back, most choosing to at least raise their glasses. Star looked around and began to finally take some notice of their actions. Most of these guards were town guards, yet unlike the nobles previously they seemed to at least show respect towards their king. That then brought her thoughts to their captain. He had called Reign a brat, but he had also not shown any obvious sign of hostility towards him during the report. From what Janna had said initially, and as Marco had surmised, the town guard as a whole were not fans of Reign's, but as Star watched, she could cross one possibility of the list for sure.

"You okay Star?" Star snapped out of her delusion as her attention was brought to Marco. He had worked up a good sweat running around a few places looking for more gas leaks. He said that only the place where the people died was a bad spot, but after stating that it was unrelated to the fire worries erupted over if the area should even be rebuilt, until Marco suggested using an Earth product called grout to attempt and seal the leaks.

"Just have a lot on my mind Marco. I worry what they'll try and do to the monsters who lost their homes."

"Star, this isn't like when Mina destroyed the monster village on Mewni. Here monsters are in a far better place. We've witnessed that in spades today with the fact that even the citizens from other districts came to help."

"Yeah, and that's part of what gets me. It seems too perfect. Even without force many mewmans are so accepting of monsters here, it's almost my ideal. However, it leaves many questions."

"Like how my son is so disliked?" Star and Marco suddenly felt their world grow small as Kor stood over them, smiling coyly while moving to take a seat near Marco. "Don't fret, curiosity is fine and you didn't break the rules we set down. Your escort here is me now, but I won't answer questions about Reign's past." He smiled as he lifted up what looked to be a purple apple. He took a bite and hummed as a familiar smell filled the air.

"Is that, fish?"

"Oh, this is a taste apple. By putting it's seed inside something the fruit it produces will have the same taste and smell as whatever it was planted in. This sadly includes dirt."

"Huh. I could put that in one of my mother's breakfast tacos. Healthy, yet tasty."

"Indeed. However they take upwards of twenty years to start bearing fruit. But at least they bear the fruit for centuries." Kor took another bite as Marco looked dejected. Star wanted so badly to comfort him, but she knew she couldn't just hug him. It was beginning to drive her mad.

"It's not that bad Sir Marco. You would guarantee that your descendants could know that flavor for hundreds of years."

"Yeah, but part of it is for Star. She really liked them back on Earth and if I could get her an apple a day for years like those tacos, I figured it would be a nice treat." Star felt her heart melt a little at his sweetness. Here he was, thinking of her while she's been almost non stop thinking about herself and another guy. She was going to make sure that when their chores were done one day next week that the two of them were going on at least one full date.

"That's the legendary Marco we all know. Kind beyond measure. But don't worry, we can still arrange for such an apple to be made no problem. Will just be a while till we see it to fruition. I know my wife searched long and hard to find this apple for our wedding and it meant the world to me."

"Well, I hate to bring such a nice conversation down, but Kor, I was wondering how you two met." Kor smiled as he quickly finished his apple.

"That's a small story, and I'm afraid parts of it are, off limits, but let me think about how to tell it." Star's eyes widened as she looked at Marco. He had uncovered yet another clue into the mystery, now, with whatever information is readily available on the country's history with Kor, they may truly get another solid lead.

"I'd say we have time for whatever version you wish to tell. It looks like things are wrapping up nicely around here and I could use some lady advice myself." Kor chuckled as Star focused everything on him.

"Okay then. It all began about the time the war with Mewni ended. I met the Queen as one of the chosen monster representatives and was welcomed with open arms. Our first meeting while far from sparking anything was a joy and relief for me. I was so worried what we had heard was all falsities and rumors, but it was clear that while embellished, it was mostly true. I first met Babs one-on-one about fifteen years ago. She had an issue with a group of monsters who seemed to be on the verge of rebellion and she couldn't get a real idea of why from her advisors, and the council was preparing to mobilize the army in defense of the country." Star shuddered as images of Mina attacking the monster village on Mewni filled her mind.

"That seems a bit extreme."

"It was Marco. At first I was there to help alleviate the situation. It was difficult even for me, but their concerns were real. Babs though, she did everything to ensure their needs were met, and their concerns abated when I got her some terms and she accepted by adding more than what they asked for. It awed me, and I became an advisor of hers after that. We began throwing around hypotheticals at each other and soon we became fast friends. It was another year down the line when our friendship went further. We were in her chambers discussing the plans to alleviate a mewman riot that was forming and as we had a plan settled we started to chat. I got flirty, she got flirty, and soon I was waking up next to her. It was about two years later that we finally agreed to marry, and two years and some months after my little bundle was born. The rest is pretty boring in comparison. Just two lovecats and their kittens."

"Huh, on Earth we say 'lovebirds' and 'chicks'. But I must say I am impressed with how much all the kids respect you." Kor went to speak, but cut himself off. Suddenly Marco and Star felt the need to continue, like a ledge was before them, but Kor was faster, likely feeling the same.

"They are wonderful. But sadly our time comes to an end out here. We had best return to the castle and prepare for tomorrow." Marco was dejected while Star was lost in her thoughts as the two of them stood up and followed Kor out of the barracks. A few new guards, some royal, some town, escorted them through an adoring public towards the castle. It was evening and as they arrived Kor and the escorts parted ways with Star and Marco. The two of them rather quickly making their way to their room where Jackie and Janna were excitedly discussing something. As they looked to the open compact mirror on the floor, they realized why.

"Yo, Starship!"

"Tom?"

"The one and only." Star smiled warmly at the boy before her. Thomas Lucitor, the three eyed future ruler of The Underworld Janna's boyfriend, and fellow half-monster, he was a powerful confidant and protector, especially after he and Marco bonded over Love Sentence and he began to conquer his anger and trust issues.

"Well, it's been too long. And you didn't even bring a present?"

"Sorry Star, Janna has dibs on those now. But I do have one to share with you. I got some dirt on Reign." Star and Marco quickly shut the door behind them, Star using her magic to lock the door as they gathered around Janna's mirror phone. Tom began to sweat a bit as everyone had their full attention on him. "Okay, let's calm down a bit. While I believe it's important information I still have more leads to follow. If what I hypothesize is correct, Reign is not who anyone thinks he is."

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

"It's a mix Jackie. He's certainly still far from a terrible person, but he's not in this for selfless reasons. First, I'll explain what I know of that. Apparently, about a decade ago, an assassin managed to stab Reign through the chest with a knife to the back." The room was now still and silent. This was a way to start a story. "The guard managed to separate the two but the guards ignored Reign in favor of removing the assassin from the area, a place called the 'Monster District'. He was rescued and taken care of by a local monster called 'Ampha'."

"So that's how they met."

"Huh?"

"I heard from Gorbin that Ampha worked as a royal nanny and raised everyone through Torro, Reign was still a small baby when she was officially relieved of duty for a time until Gorbin's daughters are born."

"That may explain it as two days later Reign was escorted to the Queen directly by her. It wasn't long after that he was found studying monster law according to our old spy reports. This soon halted until he was almost nine, when our spies noted he spent most of his days studying law. Though, why he stopped for a while we aren't entirely sure."

"Well, while nothing major has been learned, we can now attest he's a very lucky dude. He was stabbed through the chest and lived? For humans that's almost impossible, especially at a young age."

"Yeah, Jacks is right. Maybe that's his ability. Luck. What you think hot stuff'n'muffin. Janna wiggled her eyebrows seductively at Tom as he pulled at his collar. The room felt more awkward, but Star wasn't letting that stand in their way.

"Okay, we'll leave that on the table as well since it would support his near impervious nature to poisons. What else you got?"

"Two major things. First, Reign was born out of wedlock."

"How so and why does that matter?"

"Well, details are sketchy at best thanks to several of our spies being found by a rebelling group inside the castle, but Reign was born seventeen years ago. The first husband of Queen Babsibaraie died twenty years ago during the Monster Liberation War, and she is currently married to her second husband. She married him-"

"Twelve years ago!"

"Wait, Marco, how did you already know?" Star was confused before the memory of a not too distant conversation entered her head. "Wait, stupid question. That's not exactly hard knowledge to get there."

"Yes, and we really shouldn't have taken all this for granted. We thought Babs had three husbands so far, but he's only number two?"

"Yeah, it's really strange as there isn't even a single mention in their news about a potential suitor for her."

"So, he might not have been from an official suitor."

"Speculation is at best he's a bastard child, but at worst he could be a rape baby." Star cringed as she remembered one of the warning videos she had watched at Echo Creek about potential predators, and a few stories Jackie had told her about going home late after a skate night. Just the thought that he might have been conceived that way sickened her. "But again, I don't have enough information yet. I'm checking in with a land-owning noble family that seems to know more than they let on, but that's for later. The last one is a doozy. He has had numerous assassination attempts against him, his own family has been apart of those attempts in something called the 'Game for the Throne'."

"Yes, we've heard a little about it."

"Good. In general, unless the last heir dies, anyone is game. However, there are exceptions. This one was not easy to find."

"And that is?"

"He had a twin sister once." The room went silent once again as everyone began to speculate. The tale soon sold in their minds. Star spoke first.

"Reign killed his sister." Marco quickly picked up the trail.

"And buried her existence behind a wall of lies using some sort of manipulation or blackmail." Janna didn't even miss a beat, her anger clearly showing through.

"Maybe he's been setting us up. Who's to say the assassination records and these recent incidents aren't fakes to lul us into a sense of security while they remove our freedoms. I mean, even Star's parents are acting weird. He's up to something big, and we have to figure this out before things get any worse." Everyone in the room looked to Janna as they nodded. All but one.

"Now hang on everyone. That is something verifiably false." Everyone looked puzzled at Tom who sighed and continued. "Look, Reign had a sister at birth but he was being stabbed in the chest during the time his sister died. From what I can gather, he and his sister were out with their brother Gorbin going around town. They were snatched away from him by two assailants who ran opposite directions. He chased after one and retrieved the corpse of his young sister. It was then Reign was picked up by Ampha." The room felt heavy as yet another silence took hold. This was when Jackie finally felt something click in her head.

"Maybe this is why people hate him."

"What do you mean Jacks?"

"Well, the people who like and dislike him can so far be grouped two ways, the people who have been around him, and the people who haven't. While mind control or whatever is an option, it could also be misunderstandings based on earlier mistrust. Heck, we were ready to call him a murderer plotting for the throne and the evidence is pretty clearly painting him innocent." No one interrupted Jackie as they felt worse and worse. "We need to get all the facts before we act, and Tom can be our outside anchor. If he notices a change, he can warn us." Everyone slowly looked to Jackie and nodded. "Joining the problem wouldn't solve it. So let's agree, we'll try and understand Reign, and if we can prove he's up to something, then we act on it. Deal?" Jackie moved her hand towards the group, Janna and Star slowly added theirs, but after a moment, realized Marco wasn't budging.

"Sorry Jackie, but I doubt he hasn't done something to you. Before, just like us, you were against him, but now you're all for him. It's rather suspicious that you changed so much."

"Marco, she wasn't on anyone's side. That's the way Jackie is. She's laid back. And as much as I want to stop a murderer plotting for the throne, what she says isn't wrong. We can't just start making potentially false claims against someone who doesn't deserve it." After a moment, Janna added on to her statement. "Maybe this is why you two never went anywhere when you dated. You-"

"Can it Janna. You're just trying to-" Marco realized he was nearly screaming and stopped dead in his tracks. Without warning he put his hands together and started breathing slowly. It was nearly a full minute before he spoke again. "I'm sorry. I'm getting a little emotional here. Just, not getting alone time with Star is starting to drive me up a wall."

"Well, we'd leave you two for a night, but it might get suspicious."

"Well, next week we can try and get a date in. I'm sure mom and dad will allow us to go for at least one day." Marco smiled and instead of putting his hand in the circle, he grabbed all three girls and drew them into a hug. It lasted only a moment, but it felt wonderful.

"Okay Diaz, no hugging. Told you that already. Now, I am only here for one more night. Gotta head back to Earth for a while, catch up on current events, then go to The Underworld for a date. I'll dig up what I can, but Marco, you need to keep things in check."

"Got it."

"Jackie, I know it isn't your strong suit, but butter up Reign. He seems to have taken a shining to you and if he's really behind all this, we can use that as leverage to gain an advantage, even if only through your good looks."

"Well, it was these looks that got me out of Mina's clutches."

"Atta girl. And Star, hang in there. You've gotten most of our big breaks and I'm sure in time you can get us some more. Just hang in there. And hey, maybe he's just a nice guy in a bad situation. Would be something you have in common." Star nodded and once again the group embraced.

"Yeah yeah. Ignore the demon."

"Sorry Tom. But they are right to ignore you. I made it so if another girl touches my phone with you on it, well, being a guy for a while isn't too extreme, right?" The group broke apart as they looked in horror at Janna. "What? A little perspective guys. It's fine." She walked over, blew a kiss into the mirror and shut it closed. "Now, let's have a blast at this last sle-" *ring*. Janna was cut off as the wall mirror rang.

"Incoming call from, Mom."

"I better get that. Answer." The screen lit up, displaying Moon by herself.

"Hello my little Starlight. How are you doing today."

"Confused and tired as usual mom. Even when we aren't fishing for answers some things just seem to point in multiple directions."

"I know the feeling. You'll be happy to know your father and I have been working their council and are making progress inn finding the reason behind the sudden demand. Sadly, that's all I have on that front as terms so far have been, rough. We haven't even made much ground in getting the arrangement undone, but they are listening so that's a plus. So tell me, what's been going on over there." Moon's upbeat attitude made Star smile as the two talked for close to an hour. By the time the call was done all three of her friends had fallen asleep. She too decided it was time to go to sleep. So she got undressed, and unusually put on her nighty, and soon she was sleeping, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

\--

"And that's why we will never again eat duck at this table." Torro stood adamant with Petunia nodding in agreement as Star began counting down the minutes. This was her last breakfast here and while the story had been entertaining, she was more than ready to go home. Even if she was being punished when she got there.

"And I'm telling you Tuni, ducks aren't sentient in most dimensions."

"That still doesn't mean I want to eat duck dad!"

"Well, to be fair it's good enough to not eat it with us, though that doesn't excuse you from eating your vegetables." The little girl in question sat down with a thud and eyeballed her plate, full of vegetables and fruits. Star barely managed to suppress a giggle as the little girl seemed to threaten her food to taste better, only to lose it when the girl bit into a sprig of broccoli and discovered her threat failed.

Star burst out laughing as she noted a few more laughs, all but one, Reign. He had been missing since she saw him at the meeting that fateful morning. Though he would leave her some honestly sweet notes on events and places of interest, she couldn't help but notice the vast difference of the family when he wasn't around. Everyone was more joyful, more personable. Dare she say it, more alive. Neither she nor her friends had found out anything new in a few days thanks to Janna's disappearance and their restrictions, but she felt this was fine. It honestly felt more like when she first stayed over with-

Star halted her thoughts. For the first time she realized that the Overture's were just like the Diaz's. It felt like a second home even if she missed hers. She almost began to tear up, but that's when she thought of the forbidden thought. Reign would be like Marco. Marco always thought himself the misunderstood bad boy, and Star loved that originally. Reign was, from at least what she'd heard of so far, a misunderstood good boy, and she slowly started to like him. Her initial hostility towards him had melted a few days ago, and she still didn't want anything like marriage, but she knew hating him for no reason was just a recipe for disaster. So she begrudgingly began to think of him as a fellow mewman in the support of monster rights, and it helped immensely.

"Now it's almost time for your parents to pick you up Star, and as much as we want to keep you company, there is a meeting most of us have to get to regarding the final plan to rebuild the homes burned down a few days ago. If you want, the library has a collection of books you might find interesting." Babs smiled at Star as she shrunk a bit. She was looking forward to going home, but the library was the last place she wanted to be right then.

"Well Babs, I-"

"Just between all of us, we have a book in there, free for family to take for a while, that has a history on the Royal family." Star quieted down as everyone from Gorbin to Petunia looked at her warmly. "From what's been discussed the Book of Spells you used to have was the same idea, but ours has no spells. So what do you say?"

"I'd love to take a look at it." Star smiled widely, this was her moment, a surefire breakthrough.

"Feel free to borrow it dear. Reign can take it back with him when he returns from his visit. But be aware, this is a privilege for you and you alone. Your friends are forbidden from reading it. Truth be told we are making a big exception by letting you read it before your 'wedding', but, what can I say. I'm a hopeful romantic!" Babs laughed a bit as the room chuckled, except for Desir, who seemed a little unsettled. Her hands were on her belly and the room took notice. "Is something wrong Desi?"

"No, just the babies have been kicking a lot lately." Eyes were glued as she lifted her shirt a bit, and the room watched in silent awe as every once in a while, her belly would distend slightly in a few places. Gorbin held his wife close as she dryly chuckled. Star had read how painful carrying twins could be from her Book of Spells, but the overall joy Desir showed was enough to put her mostly back to normal.

"Well, at least it's a good sign they're still in there."

"Indeed. Wouldn't want my nieces to already be sneaking about!" Torro laughed as the rest of the room almost recoiled at his poor joke. "S-sorry. I shouldn't joke like that. B-but I couldn't help it." The room just deadpanned as Torro laughed himself out of his stupor. After a moment of silence, Babs continued.

"Well, despite the ruined mood, that's all there is right now. I'm afraid we must head to our meeting. Please, take care Star. I hope to see you again soon." Babs stood and did a curtsy, followed by bows and curtsies by the rest of the family as they left as a group, each wishing her a safe trip home. Star waved but as the door closed she almost felt a pang of sadness. She had wanted to apologize for the last two days. When she last spoke with Reign she had clearly hurt him, and after failing to find the bad he'd done, she was ready to apologize. But she had no idea where to start. Because of his duties since the fire, he had been either working or sleeping, preventing her from even seeing him, much less apologize.

She sighed as she thought of the family book. Her curiosity was there, but the feeling of guilt now diluted it. She wanted nothing more than to apologize before she left, but bereft of that, seeing the family history was the next most important thing. She stood up and left, heading down a few winding hallways and into the garden. She had barely spent any time in the garden despite having a few chances. The place was beautiful, but she didn't go, preferring to try and find a way to get the marriage annulled from the Overture's side. However, there was an entrance to the library in the garden she was acquainted with and while it was out of the way, she wanted a chance to clear her head without someone standing over her. She reached and walked through the garden, taking a winding route between several isles of greenery of various types, ending up at a tree surrounded by hedges.

It was a large tree and suddenly Star couldn't remember ever seeing it in the few times she passed the garden. In fact, she knew the tree wasn't in the garden at all. The garden didn't have one this big. Looking around she began to panic, where she came from was only tall shrubbery. She became frightened as she ran towards it, only to bounce backwards as if she had hit a soft, springy wall. Her panic deepened as she heard a soft snoring. What manner of creature had devised this lair? After a moment of the sound not moving, she decided her best course of action was to gather information. Slowly she circled the tree, and after a moment of trepidation, peeked over and saw the source of the noise.

Reign was sleeping on one of the roots. She sighed and then felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest as she realized something. She had never seen him asleep before and consequencely never this relaxed. It dawned on her that he must have always had his guard up. She felt worse and worse and began to look for a way out of this section of the garden, wanting to leave him in peace, but large shrubs were in every direction, and they were far too tall to see over. She thought about transforming, but doing so might cause worry and suspicion that neither she nor Reign needed right now. She began to hyperventilate, fearing being trapped when, suddenly, Reign began to cough.

It was small at first but began to get more and more violent. Star watched in horror as the man who was resting so peacefully just moments ago began to cough up blood from a resting start. He forced himself up against the tree, almost as if he was preparing to push away and run, but he didn't. Star didn't dare move, and after a few moments, he stopped coughing. He was very awake now, holding his chest and breathing heavily as he attempted to steady himself. He took his time and began to stand up fully, but lost his balance. Before he could hit the ground, Star dashed forward and caught him by the arm. In a surprising moment she felt cold steel against her abdomen as Reign's eyes found hers. The blade barely pierced her clothes, gingerly touching her flesh as she peered into his eyes.

He wasn't afraid, he was terrified. And as the moment continued, he became even more so. He tried to speak but simply began to cough again. He was brought to his hands and knees and Star was beside herself on what to do until her compassion won out. She got down on her knees and began to rub his back. He wasn't coughing up much blood this time, but his cough didn't abate. It was almost a minute later when it did, and a few more minutes before he moved from his position to a sitting one against the tree. Tears were streaming down his face as he began to cry from pain. Star had no idea what was going on, but she simply stayed by his side as he slowly recovered. It was another five minutes when Reign began to try and stand again, Star swiping her tail to keep him on the ground.

"I'm fine."

"You coughed up a lot of blood."

"Just my body getting rid of a slow pile up from the poisoning incident."

"That was days ago, you should be mostly recovered, and it's all red, meaning it's pretty fresh." Reign stayed still before lying back on the tree, a small trickle of blood out of his mouth.

"Guess you got me."

"What's going on Reign. Are you hurt? Are you being poisoned again, are-"

"Please, slow down. I may not want to talk, and staying silent won't help, but going fast is the last thing I need right now." Reign took a few deep breathes as hr shifted his position slightly before continuing. "Now, to explain the blood, there was an assassination attempt yesterday." Star's eyes went wide. She hadn't heard anything yet, and it was so soon after the other one was solved too. "Was patrolling near some of the tents when a town guard asked for assistance. Said it was bad. We were the patrol so we moved out. As we got close the town guard stopped in front of a group consisting of a few town guards. We thought little of it at the moment as our lead headed off towards them and beyond. As we tried to pass they set upon us. While we held them off, one of my guards betrayed me and stabbed me in the back with a dagger." Star felt her stomach sink as she watched him pat his left side. "Right about here, but in my back. I was able to turn around and cut his head off, but unfortunately we were slightly outnumbered and now at a severe disadvantage. Thankfully, Captain Reld was near enough to hear the commotion and he stepped in with his retinue. We quickly turned the tides and killed or captured the lot. Turns out several of the assailants weren't even guards, they were townsfolk who dressed up as guards to try and take advantage of the situation." Star didn't know how to feel as she took it all in.

"But why sneak off here to be alone?"

"I feel safe here. This is the Glade of the First King. Our only magical item, the Crownsblade lies here, inside the tree that grew around it. Only those worthy of rule can find their way here, and only with a heartfelt wish to be granted. Which begs the question of how you got here. The sword would have guided you here, but why? I wished to be alone." Star felt ashamed as she tried to say her reason, but was unable to speak. She felt worthless but, after a moment, her hesitation was blown away, and all her words came flowing out.

"I, I wanted to apologize to you. On our second day here I said something extremely rude to you."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Trust me, I've heard worse."

"That doesn't matter. I shouldn't apply my thoughts on value to something that I have no idea of. I mean, my mother was ready to wage a war for monster freedom just because dad gave her a flower. Pretty sure that's small."

"Nah. That's romantic. And love is a powerful force that no one can stop."

"And, that's why you work so hard, right?"

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"You see Star, while at first that's a good reason, after spending so much time being unable to meet you again, I had time to think. I think I've said it before, but I realized what I had wasn't love. It was admiration. At best, I was in love with the idea of you. So when I had my ambition set I started studying monster rights and how they are affected by the law and began to formulate a plan. Up to that point I didn't really care much about myself, but I knew what I wanted to do would take time. I became more proactive in my quest to survive and began to get more aggressive on my standing point. Mom stepped behind me, and I worked my way to where I am just like that. You were at the very least a catalyst who gave me hope." Star blushed as he finished, and though he didn't look at her she could see a twinkling in his eyes.

"Wow. All because of that mysterious thing I did." Star stayed pensive for a bit as she desperately tried to remember back, but a phrase from some time ago entered her mind just as Reign spoke.

"So, now it's your turn, right?" Star looked at him and upon seeing his eyes lightly resting on her, nodded. She ignored several questions that came to mind, but simply had to ask one, no matter how rude.

"... How often are these assassination attempts?"

"About one a week in some form. Some are big, some are small, some never get past the planning stage, some just happen on the spot. They are near constant, but usually they aren't this good."

"That's terrible… your turn."

"So, why did you end up on Earth?"

"Oh, well, I had just gotten the family wand, an heirloom still kept by us, and I started showing off what I thought would be an amazing scene of magical brilliance. Instead, I nearly burned down the town with rainbows while repelling another, well, monster hating mob. Mom and dad agreed sending me elsewhere would be for the best, both for safety and training, and Mom knew the Diazs from her initial escape from Aunt Etheria's plans. That's how Marco and I met. His father and my mother were best friends."

"Huh. I see. Childhood friends."

"No. We met for the first time that day. He was freaked out at first, but we grew on each other. Honestly if not for all the adventures we'd shared, I'm sure I'd be married to Tom by now."

"Huh. Guess that's paradise for you. Okay, your turn."

"... What happened to all your suitors?"

"Ooo. That's a fun one. My first suitor was a low noble's girl named Erisia. She was also my longest suitor of about seven months. She seemed pretty nice, but she was using me to further her own agenda. When I got wise she tried to rape and kill me. Figured she could fake her own rape and make my death self defense to get some power. Instead she failed to grab me and died of accidental suicide by falling off a railing and onto some patrolling guard's spear."

"Oh, wow. Why does everyone seem to either want to kill you, or love you?"

"... Sorry. There are two off limits stories and that is one of them. Suffice to say if they hate me, they don't know me. Like you didn't."

"I didn't-"

"Don't lie to me Star. I know better than anyone that no one likes me. I know most don't know me. And it may seem like some people love me, but that number is actually incredibly small. None of it matters though. I've got a goal, a hero, and the love of one person. That's enough for me." He paused again as he closed his eyes, a somber expression flashing over his face as he muttered one more line. "I know what happens when I get greedy." He kept them closed as Star began to wonder. With everything she had spoken about with his family the last couple of days, you'd think he was the model kid. A fact to Petunia for sure. But, he didn't see it that way. It made her feel, sick to her stomach. "My turn. When was your first kiss?"

"Well, it was with Marco back-" Star was cut off as a flash of a memory went through her head. It was sudden and quick, but her mouth went off before she could collect herself. "No, it was a few years before that, but, I don't remember when or with who or even where I was." Star's hand absentmindedly rose to her lips, as if a ghost of a kiss had sparked a memory. Reign stared for a moment, silent, as if awaiting a signal. But it never came. Instead, Star shook herself free of her own thoughts as she grew determined. "My turn."

"I think we're going to have to put it on hold. You are heading home today, correct?" Star sprang to her feet, nearly knocking Reign over as she became frantic.

"Oh my goodness! I need to go to the library and get your family book like Babs wanted!" She began to frantically look around as Reign chuckled. "What's so funny?" Star partially fumed before noticing a large grin on Reign' s somewhat pale face.

"You're not acting anymore." Star was puzzled until it clicked. She had just dropped her guard. "And I'm glad. I did say that no matter how this ends, I would like to be friends by the end of it." Reign smiled and Star couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. It almost hurt how joyful he seemed. But the situation again meant she couldn't afford to think about it right now.

"That's nice, but I really need to get to the library and prepare to leave."

"Not necessary. I have the book with me." Star looked as Reign put his hand between some tree roots and pulled out a small sack. He reached in and produced a red, gold-lined book. He then handed it to her as she grabbed hold. On it was now writing, and a simple keyed lock. "The lock will open for you. It was what I came here to do when I felt sleepy. Guess I slept longer than I planned." Star places her hand in the lock and she heard it click open.

"That's amazing."

"Yeah. It is. Now, it is getting towards your departure. To leave, walk towards the shrub wall and think of where you want to go, and what plant to walk out of. You'll be there in a moment." Star looked at Reign who was lying down next to the tree again. "I'm going to have to say goodbye here. And please, only let mom know where I am if she asks. This place isn't easy to get to for most. But if the wrong person is allowed, it would probably be our last meeting"

"Then how did I get here without even knowing about it?" Reign smiled as he looked down slightly.

"The answer is in the book, though I did tell you earlier. Now, you should probably be on your way Star. Thank you for your apology, even if none was needed, I appreciated it." He gave a soft smile as he seemingly began to go back to sleep. Star took a moment to look, but then started to think about where to go. She quickly remembered a plant in her room and tried it. She imagined it and tried to walk forward, only to rebound back. "Can't go to people's rooms, even your own." Reign called from behind. Star stood again and pictured a plant she remembered in the dining hall as she closed ger eyes. She walked forward and suddenly the air changed. She felt no leaves or twigs, just air. She opened her eyes and saw the dining room. Quickly she hurried towards her room, ready to investigate everything she could.

\--

Star sat on her own bed, Marco and Jackie by her side and Janna and Tom on her wall mirror. Star's parents declined, but wouldn't say why. Star had questioned it, but they wouldn't budge. And just like them, no one was in a rush to open the book. Since Star had stated what it was, no one had moved an inch. All eyes were on the book and had for several minutes. Finally, Janna broke the silence.

"Well? Come on Star. Open it!"

"I'm nervous, okay! All our answers are in there, but they did say it was for me only."

"But Star, that's why we need to read it. Who knows what's in there or why they wanted you to read it. Let's calm down, and get to business, so we can figure this out. Please?"

"Okay Marco." Star took a deep breath, and touched the book, the familiar click opening the object without protestations.

"Okay girl. It's time for answers." All five eyes landed on the book in silence as they began to peer at the pages.

**A/N**

**Well, that ends part one of our adventure. A few mysteries are started, and a few answered. I thank you all for joining me so far as we head to part two, a week in Mewni!**


	4. Monstar Date

"What the-" Star looked incredulously at the book in all it's blank glory. The other four groaned, all the tension and excitement gone in a flash.

"Looks like Reign wiped it clean. Now we know he wants to hide something. But what?"

"Dude, I don't even care anymore. I'm stuck cleaning floors in the Lucitor Castle starting tomorrow. I need some sleep."

"And I am not staying in Janna's room while she's asleep. Mom started knitting baby clothes when I announced Janna and I were dating officially. She'd probably have us wed if I stayed even if I just talked to you guys. So unless we have something, we're going to have to call this soon." Star looked again to the book before falling backwards in a groan.

"This is so annoying. I had two hopes for this week of punishment and one of them just disappeared."

"Cheer up girl. This is proof that something is up if Reign really did wipe the book clean or if he gave you a fake. It's evidence to back up the theory that perhaps he manipulated the council to get your throne. But we need to know what he hid first." Star looked to Janna, responding as calmly as she could.

"Well, there's no guarantee-"

"Star, he has to be up to something. Everything's too perfect."

"Marco, he's been actively trying to absolve the arrangement. He's a good guy."

"You're probably just in the beginning phases of his mind control Star! You need to wake up!"

"Marco's right Star. He has to be up to no good. I mean, catching an assassin that soon after entering the kingdom is very unlikely. He probably set it up to get us on his side!"

"Oh come on you two, Reign isn't that bad, none of them are."

"Star-

"Enough! You three need to calm down!" Everyone looked at Jackie then each other. They had begun to rise and leer at one another as their voices had slowly risen from a hushed conversation to a near shout. Everyone looked at one another and slowly everyone sat back down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm just, frustrated. I really want Star to focus less on him and more on us since we only have a week until he's back in our lives. So let's forget him for a bit and have some fun. Okay?"

"I'm sorry Marco. I just wanted to get this over with so we could focus on us."

"And I'm sorry too. I guess I'm just getting caught up in the fever of conspiracy and intrigue." The four friends looked to each other and smiled lightly before someone started feeling out of place.

"Okay, I'm really getting tired of being left out of these touching moments." Everyone looked to Tom as they remembered he was there.

"Well, why not come and visit? It's harder to not include someone when they're right next to you."

"Can't Starship. Mom and Dad are visiting the Overture's to work on a trade agreement as they discontinued trade with us eight years ago." Star fought hard to hold back her tongue. She had just promised her Bestie she would focus more on him. Tom noticed this and immediately had an idea. "We can discuss the details another time. I have a few books to get through then I am meeting with that noble family to discuss some specific trades of ore and livestock. I'll have answers probably in a week or two. We can discuss more then and otherwise focus on us. Sound good to everyone?" The entire room nodded, smiles abound as Janna sent him a flirty look.

"Looks like someone's being a good boy. Perhaps I should reward him when this call ends." Tom pulled at his collar and shifted his eyes around before remembering something important.

"Don't forget Jan that you have to clean the castle starting tomorrow morning." Janna didn't let her gaze drop a second.

"Well I know where to start." She winked and Tom turned from purple to red. The room looking at her with blushes as she openly flirted.

"I, uh, gotta go, uh, rule, or, something. 'K thanks bye." He quickly dashed away as Janna chuckled.

"So cute. Gonna be fun messing with him for the next week without his parents around. Honestly, I might do the impossible and beat you to motherhood Star." Star turned completely red as Marco looked away. This had gotten heated fast. He was about to say something when he realized what Janna had done. He paused then smiled as he turned back to Janna.

"Okay Janna. Just remember it's quality that matters."

"Oh? Look at the man acting like a stud. Don't tell me you're already working on it?" Janna slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized her mistake. But Marco wasn't about to allow it to continue.

"Not yet. But we do have a date this week and I do have a grand plan in place." Star was blushing so hard she felt light headed as the words rang in her head. Janna looked on in worried horror, but Star and Marco remained oblivious.

"W-when is our d-d-date?"

"Wednesday. Most people don't show up to places on Wednesday and your parents already agreed. I got the whole day planned out so prepare yourself for a night of romancing!" Marco smiled and Star felt her heart flutter. He had put a lot of effort into a day for her and she was ready to see their first official date be amazing.

"Well lovebirds…" Star snapped out of her stupor as Jackie spoke. Her words carrying a hint of sadness. "I think we need to get some rest. We have a hard day tomorrow and I would hate to go through it exhausted." Jackie put on a smile but Star, Marco and Janna could tell, she was on the verge of tears. Neither Star nor Marco had even realized they had pronounced their relationship in front of a girl who had last been on a successful date with Marco. She had a brief fling with a French girl, but she wasn't interested in a relationship. When Jackie had pushed a little she got on a plane and went back home. Jackie had put on a strong face, but everyone knew it devastated her.

"Jacks. I'm-" Star didn't have a chance to finish as Jackie stood up and walked out without a further word. Star immediately realized she couldn't leave Jackie alone and got up to chase her down. It wasn't hard as her strong mewman biology and her powerful septarian biology made her immensely fast. She was upon Jackie in moments as she tackled her fleeing friend to the floor. "Jackie, ple-"

"Get off!" Star felt a dagger at Jackie's words. She was crying heavily now as she tried to fight off Star in a fruitless effort to tear her away. After a moment of repeated fighting and yelling, Jackie gave up, crying openly into Star's chest. Marco caught up and embraced the two without a word, joining Star to send all their love to her. It was a few minutes before the crying stopped. Not a word spoken as they broke apart with Star picking Jackie up.

She carried Jackie with her escort back to her room and without a word took her inside. Marco waving a silent goodbye as Star nodded. Jackie clung to Star, barely holding back tears as the door closed. Star went over to the bed and lay Jackie down. She then climbed in and positioned herself so that Jackie's head was in her lap. She began to pat Jackie's head as she let the remainder of her tears flow again. It was a further few minutes before Jackie spoke again.

"Why is life so unfair?" Star felt the dagger twist as the normally calm Jackie fell apart. She could barely speak even with the tears stopped. "All I want is someone to call my own. I first thought it might be Marco, but he loved you. Then I tried asking a few guys out but they weren't interested. Then I asked out Chloe and things seemed well but she didn't feel the same. She tried to like me that way, but couldn't. She even left to go home when I tried to repair our friendship afterwords. What am I doing wrong? How did you and Janna find your lovers so easily?" Star was at a loss as she thought back. After a moment, she realized the answer, painful as it was to say.

"We didn't. We just found each other. I was sent away for my own safety and found Marco, and Janna came to Mewni and after spending time with him, fell for Tom. I'm sorry to say, I have no advice for you. Especially considering you and Marco had crushes on each other before I arrived. I'm sorry Jackie. I stole Marco from you." Star could feel her own tears growing, as well as a sense of doubt.

"No. You didn't Star. We weren't ready to be yet. He put me too high on a pedestal and when it came down to it he loved you from the start. Don't blame yourself for my short comings. I didn't get Marco, you did. That's no one's fault. But, that doesn't take away the pain." Jackie was back on the brink of tears, her emotions running away as she let it all go. Star actually felt embarrassed as she felt her own tears roll down her cheek. Jackie was being so blunt it was like she was naked before her, more so than any lack of clothes could do.

"I actually understand. Even when I broke up with Tom I felt horrible, each guy using my position for their own gain, it got to the point I couldn't trust anyone. I was sent to Earth to be among friends. I may have seemed jovial and upbeat, but the truth was I wasn't much unlike a buried corpse. I felt, alone. Cold. If it wasn't for Marco, Janna and you, I'd probably still be locked up in my room at the castle, hiding away from all my problems. Instead, here I am."

"We didn't do that much Star."

"Jackie, we never know the value of what we've done for others as it is the other person that knows what value the deed holds to them. Trust me, you're irreplaceable." Star smiled warmly as Jackie snuggled closer, her tears slowly disappearing. But Star couldn't focus solely on Jackie, as her thoughts once again drifted to Reign, and the question of what exactly happened eight years ago. Her words to Jackie stirring something in the depths of her memories.

\--

"Rise and shine Star. It's time for your first day of punishment." The voice that called to Star was soft and melodic, with just a hint of an accent very familiar to her. She practically leapt out of bed and ran to the door, bursting it open as she squealed in glee.

"Grandma Eclipsa!" She hugged a shorter, dark haired woman with a very curvy body and a little black dress to show it off in. The woman hugged back, pressing her black, spade-shaped cheek marks to Star's hearts.

"Good to see you too Star." She allowed the hug to happen for a moment before disengaging, a small smile on her face. "Now, mind getting dressed in the outfit my husband brought with us? I'm afraid he won't be able to keep his eyes to himself much longer." Star lightly blushed as she approached the well dressed red-skinned monster with curly, white hair. She took the outfits, two maid outfits, and rushed back inside. From Eclipsa's spot outside the door she heard a small shriek from Jackie as Star pulled her awake and promptly got the two of them dressed, reappearing mere moments after closing the door fully dressed in a long, white and black maid outfit.

"It's been too long Globgor, Eclipsa. I hope you two have enjoyed being able to openly travel as a couple?" Star smiled even harder as the two lovers got closer to each other with soft smiles on their faces.

"Indeed Star, it's been a treat to have others tell us how cute our Meteora is. Though, I do hope you don't pretend I'll let you off easy with your punishment today, hmmm?" Eclipsa smiled knowingly as Star chuckled dryly, her face again a light blush.

"Indeed little one. We all have to do our part in this so I hope you're ready to get to work."

"But, what about breakfast?"

"Well, you're one of the help today, your breakfast finished ten minutes ago and now it is work time until two in the afternoon." Star looked to the side, judging by the sky, it was currently-

"But, it's not even sunrise."

"Well, when did you think they started?" Star felt her stomach drop. She didn't expect the punishment to go so far. "Besides, this is part of the agreement with Marco so you two can go on that date." The group smiled while both Jackie and Star inwardly began to wonder why Marco hadn't mentioned it. "The boy himself left last night on a special patrol. He'll be back for the date, then go back out on patrol one more time before Reign gets here." Eclipsa leaned forward and began to whisper in Star's ear. "Just between us, I'm using some old connections to try and figure some stuff out as well. So just let yourself be immersed in work." Eclipsa pulled away and began to walk away. "Now come on darlings, it's time to meet your task manager for the day." The pair of girls looked between themselves before hurriedly following along, hoping the day would only get easier.

It was a three minute walk to a small building just outside the castle proper. It was made of wood and was well taken care of, but was utterly simplistic in it's design. Eclipsa knocked once then pushed the door open, waving the two girls in as Globgor began to wave goodbye. They stepped inside with Eclipsa leading to a tall, lanky woman with dark red hair. She was old, and wore a maid uniform with a small sigil, showing her status loud and clear.

"Head Maid, I bring you your charges for the next three days. Please remember on the fourth they will get a one day break before working another three." The woman looked up and smiled kindly at Eclipsa.

"But of course your grace. We will make sure they know some hard work during their assigned days." The woman smiled as Eclipsa bowed and walked out. The moment the door closed her gaze shifted to the two and her expression made a complete one-eighty. She now looked stern and in control. "Well, I'll forgive tardiness once, but next time I'll give you the worst jobs in the castle. Welcome to your first day, you will address me as 'Head Maid' and no other way until your servitude is done. This includes your one day break. You will do everything as I say or you'll get the worst jobs in the castle. Fail to do a chore and I'll make it worse. Refuse to do work I would assign to any other maid, and I'll report to the King and Queen directly. Is this all clear?" Memories of a few places quickly zipped through both girls minds as they stood at attention.

"Perfectly clear Head Maid." The Head Maid's gaze softened slightly at that. She had expected trouble, but this was good too.

"Good. Now then, your first task Star is to clean the spidergoat pens." Star held back the desire to breathe a sigh of relief. She had expected a lot worse than that. "And you Jackie, shall clean the men's latrine. And don't worry about men trying to do something, we always send a female guard with a maid when assigned such tasks. All your implements will be prepared by the supply manager in the basement, your escort will meet you there Jackie. Any questions?"

"Do we come back for additional orders or will we be given additional orders after we are done?" The head maid began to laugh. And she kept laughing. A full minute had passed and she was still laughing. It was another minute that she ceased laughing, finally pulling herself back together.

"Finish. That's a good one. You're doing all of them. If you finish within a week I'll be impressed." She suddenly looked sternly at the two of them. "Now get to work." The two wasted no time in running out and towards the castle. Both knew where the supply room was and swiftly headed there. It was a small room with a single man behind a large counter with a nearly perfectly enclosed series of bars besides a small slot for handing out items. The two approached and he looked up.

He was a large man, easily he would have stood at over seven feet tall and he wore relatively simple clothes. He had a haggard look to him, but he didn't appear to be very old. He took a moment then began to pull out mops, rags, buckets, and other cleaning supplies and handed them over through the slot. He began to write again as a guard arrived.

"Maids, one of you is with me. Grab your supplies and let's be off." She looked on sternly as Star and Jackie quickly divied up the supplies between them. In a moment Jackie was lead out of the room towards the first latrine. Star took a breath and grabbed her supplies, made her way to the pen, not used to being treated so, nonchalantly. She took three minutes to arrive at the pens and the beginnings of light were just showing off the horizon. She breathed deeply and noticed one of the keepers approaching.

"Greetings maid. I suppose your here to clean the pen?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent. Hasn't been cleaned in a very long time. Now remember, you can't let the goats leave the pen. They're liable to mess everything up. So you'll have to clean around them. The pen on the far end, pen seven, is your first duty. Find me when you finish for your next assignment. Have fun!" He quickly moved away towards the warnicorns pens as Star entered a small spidergoat pen with a seven hung above the door, and immediately regretted everything. There was a pile of hay and dung taking up half the pen, literally. She stared ahead and screamed.

\--

Star and Jackie looked out a window in the large bath. They were lifeless as the two had walked up to the bath, undressed, and entered without a single word. Normally Star would joke about looks, and Jackie would joke about Star's tail, but neither had even moved since sitting down. As if a silent agreement had been made. They had barely managed to wash themselves with their movements as the day wore on both of them. Then a guest walked in neither wanted to see.

"Oh, hello Star, Jackie." It was Moon. Both girls looked over and saw her lightly smiling face as she approached them, sitting next to Star. She began to wash as both girls returned to staring outside. "I do hope you enjoyed an easy day as it only gets worse from here." Star began to feel light headed. "And I already know your last chore will be the worst of them all, so I just know you won't be doing anything so dangerous for a while." She was practically singing it as she began to wash her hair, neither girl moving as she finished. Honestly she had been prepared to hear some boastful remark, but she was pleasantly surprised to hear nothing. "Well girls, get some good rest tonight, you have two more days until a small break then right back to work. See you later!" She left as she had arrived, neither Star or Jackie moving an inch.

\--

Star awoke early the next morning. She felt her stomach protesting as she looked at her clock, the alarm was still a few minutes away, but she knew sleep was not happening with her stomach so empty. She got up and put on her outfit for the day, and walked down the the servant eating quarters. It was jammed packed as many were grabbing their food and sitting down. She wished that like the Overture's the food here was better. Something to keep in mind when she became queen.

She stood in the food line and looked around the room. Almost immediately she spotted Jackie lightly eating food in a corner with a few butlers actively flirting with her. Star wished the line would move faster as she saw Jackie clearly being uninterested, and for once, it did. She had her food within a minute, uninteresting as it smelled, and soon was walking towards Jackie. Her anger abated slightly as she realized that the flirting was a lot less vulgar than she had expected, most of them doing a few compliments as they tried to earn her attention in a rather gentlemanly way. When Jackie noticed Star though, her mood immediately shifted as she addressed her friend.

"Hey Star!" The men quickly left as the boys tried to earn her attention one more time before noticing the half-septarian themselves and retreating, giving scared looks as they went. "Thank goodness you arrived. They weren't being pushy, but it was getting annoying. Was afraid I'd snap soon."

"Yeah, I just wish they wouldn't basically run in fear. Makes a girl lose some confidence, you know?" If not for the playful tone, Jackie would have immediately rebuked it, instead she quickly came up with her own retort, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Well I wish I could get them to move at all. They just stand around slack jawed when I walk around in a bikini." The two laughed a bit as Star took her first bite. It wasn't as bad as the slop it looked like or smelled like had led her to suspect, but it was still rather bland.

"So, we were sort of traumatized last night, how bad were the latrines?"

"Star, I know how you said Marco kept his bathroom immaculate, this is about the opposite. It was so encrusted I nearly asked for a gas powered jackhammer. Like, I finished two bathrooms. Two!"

"Wow. I thought the pens were bad. I think there's literally a ton of shit and hay mixed together. Thankfully they weren't eating it, but still." Jackie chuckled dryly as she stared at the remainder of her food.

"Well, looks like we won't be smelling things for a while once this is over, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised I can smell at all. Like. This food smells so, meh."

"It's bacon and sausage in gravy Star, it has a very strong smell." Star looked down at her plate and noticed a large chunk of sausage sticking out of the gray gravy. Her expression dropping Almost immediately.

"Gonna be sad when I can't smell anything during you-know-what."

"Yeah. Really wish she had different chores for us. But, sadly breakfast has gotta end shortly, so might wanna finish eating before we have, to-" Jackie looked down to see Star's plate practically licked clean, compared to her own having a few bites left. "Right. Well, let's go ahead to the Head Maid. I'm sure she's expecting us to be there promptly today." Star nodded and the two silently set out for the Head Maid's office.

\--

"You're both pathetic." The Head Maid looked down at Star and Jackie, now on time for their shifts. "Star, the pen you got was an easy one, it should have been done yesterday, instead I hear you barely got a quarter of it cleaned! Produce your mirror phone. NOW!" Star turned her pockets inside out to show she didn't have it on her and the Head Maid began to glare. She stood up, walked over, and shoved her hand inside the collar of Star's outift, startling the girl as she searched for something but not finding it. She retrieved her arm and in a huff sat back down. "I guess you figured I'd guess why you're behind, so this time you're wearing this collar. It will inform me of if you leave your assigned area before the day is out. I will escort you to the pen personally.

Now Jackie, you have also been very slow, but it's not so pathetic that I would be worried about slacking yet. Your pace is almost on par with the usual maids. Just please try and pick it up a bit dear. Your work doesn't need to be perfect, but it is a disappointing show for a fully energized young lady." The Head Maid stood up and began walking to the supply room, her demeanor shifting to a more proper and polite manner as she left her office. They again reached the room without incident, the supply man again silently handing them their tools as the two girls quickly gave each other their tools.

"Well, at least I see you two know what you'll need out of those tools. Now, where is that guard. She was supposed to be-"

"Hey girly, you ready yet? I'd rather not step into that hell hole even for your fine ass."

"Guard Priscilla get in here right now!" The guard quickly rounded the corner and saluted.

"Head-"

"Quiet. Now you listen to me and listen good. You have a job and you will do it right. If you dare talk to one of my maids that way again, I'll make sure you get the WORST assignment possible. And trust me, I can. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now escort the lady to her next bathroom and see that she is undisturbed. I think I see now why she was so behind and if she's behind again, well, I'll assume you talked to her rudely again. Now move." The guard quickly escorted Jackie out of the room without a word. Star felt scared for her friend, but knew she had no time left to worry for now. If anything happened, she was still the princess and she would see that knight stripped of her title, and worse. When the Head Maid arrived at the pen though, her thoughts were interrupted.

"What is this pile of shit!" The Head Maid was flabbergasted as she looked on at the mess in the small pen Star had started on.

"Uh, the pile I was working on yesterday?"

"But, but, that's impossible! This is cleaned every week, there's no way it got this bad in a week!" A nearby stable boy peaked his head inside the door and spoke bluntly.

"This is the first maid I've seen anywhere near here."

"But, I rotate the maids! They only have to deal with the stables once every ten months! Why would they avoid this place?"

"I don't know. Never saw one here in the three years I've worked the stables."

"For the love of the queen. Okay, fine. Star, clearly I underestimated what you have ahead of yourself. I'm going to see about getting you some help and I am truly sorry about doubting you. I remember your mother at your age and assumed you were falling into the same traps. Please, go ahead and get to work for today. Actually, I'm going to find you other work for tomorrow since this is becoming a punishment for the maids I expected better of. I've got more tasks at a level I feel more appropriate." Star stood speechless as the Head Maid bowed and quickly walked out, saying apologies to the stable hand as she did. It was over a minute before Star shook herself loose and began the full task of cleaning again, a newfound respect for the Head Maid.

\--

"Wow, she did that?"

"Yeah Star. You should have seen it. I guess the maids really stung her bad for leaving the pens and men's bathrooms in such a state. I was walking by when I heard Gersha try and say she was called away by Moon to do something and the Head Maid straight up called her out on it! She even apologized to me and said I was getting reassigned until the last day when our big punishment chore hits us."

"Sweet!" Star laid back, feeling much better about her situation now that she wasn't cleaning a pen again in the morning. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of the warm waters rush over her, relaxing even more as a small smile fell upon her face. "I don't know what she has planned for tomorrow, but I know the day after Marco and I are gonna have a blast on our date!"

"Oh yeah. That's Wednesday. Cool. Has he said where yet?" Star's eyes popped open at the time. She managed not to move her head, but she was prepared to pounce on her friend if necessary.

"Not yet Jacks. He did say he wanted it to be a standard Earth date for our first official date, but he hasn't said much else." Star trained her senses hard on Jackie, waiting for her response.

"Well, he's got a pretty good handle on that portion. When we dated he tried really hard even if you were stuck on his mind. He really felt hurt when you made him leave Mewni after the rebellion." Star didn't sense the sorrowful tone from Jackie's words that time, so she decided to continue.

"Yeah, well, I was scared okay. I don't know what he told you, but he almost died. He fought a failed recreation of a Solarian Warrior and nearly lost his life. We both did. If not for my Butterfly Form unlocking, well, I suppose a lot of things would have changed that day." Star stared up as her body began to float. Her tail lightly pushing her up. Suddenly, two orbs pressed against the back of her head as arms were draped over her midsection.

"I, did hear about that. Not in so much detail, but I did. I'm, sorry Star. I really wanted to go help, but the portal nearly closed on Marco when he went through. I wish I could have been there to help."

"Trust me Jackie, it was horrible. You honestly might have died. You may worry about us, but trust me. It was for the best that you weren't there." Star closed her eyes as memories of the event crossed her mind, but while her thoughts were on the battle, Jackie's mind was on a different issue altogether. It was after he returned from that trip that Marco began to really push for their relationship to be more. It wasn't like he was forcing himself on her, but she could tell he was running from his feelings. Marco realized he loved Star in the time he was gone, and it was the hardest thing to let him go. Especially as he finally figured out how to date a girl.

"Well, I still wish there was something more I could have done and nothing you say will change that. You're my friend Star." Star smiled as she let her feet hit the bottom of the bath again. She quickly turned around and gave Jackie a tight hug, one Jackie reciprocated. They stayed like that for a moment before a voice called out to them.

"Well, that's a touching scene." Both girls broke apart slightly to see Eclipsa standing at the bath edge, slowly making her way in. "It's a good thing this is girls only or I'd be worried about the boys thoughts after seeing a scene like that!"

"Oh please Eclipsa. We both know not seeing it won't stop those kinds of dreams." The two women laughed as Jackie and Star separated with smiles on their faces. "I see today was a bit better."

"Yeah, we even impressed the Head Maid."

"Yes, Belinda mentioned to me what's been happening and her change in your schedules. At least we know now how lazy some of these maids have been. Hope they enjoy their lowered pay for the next three months."

"I say we should have done ten months since they didn't do those jobs for that long."

"Well, I didn't so I could reserve the right to fire them if they did it again. I'm just glad my little Monstar is such a hard worker to actually get praised by Belinda!" A second womanly voice chimed in from the entrance as Moon walked towards the bath.

"Yes, you should take some pride Star. She's worked at this castle for forty years and records only show one other to ever get her approval as a good worker from the start." Star gave her mother a hug as the four women each found a spot to sit.

"Who was that?"

"Sir Lavabo." Star's eyes went wide as both her and Jackie felt a sensation of pride. They were being put on one heck of a pedestal.

"Either way, it's a good thing we've met up. We have the schedule for next week all planned out." Star felt her mood drop. She hadn't even thought about what would happen after, or about Reign in the last two days, so she had forgotten the weight of it all. Moon, realizing things had gotten pretty bad decided to jump in head first and make it quick.

"Yes, Reign will arrive at ten in the morning and all of us shall greet him. The official reasons are to further our relationship as allied nations and to discuss his law on monster citizenship, as well as formally invite us to a ball. Unofficially, he's here to court you. And even more unofficially, he's here to talk to us about their own progress with the arrangement." Eclipsa looked to Star as her expression dropped, memories of her own arranged marriage springing to mind.

"Well, hopefully it's good news. Star could use some of it in her life about now."

"Indeed. The poor dear has gone from one bad hand to another. She really needs to get a new dealer." Eclipsa chuckled a bit as Star smiled at her joke.

"Yeah. But, we'll cross that bridge when it is drawn. Any other plans for now?"

"Not at this time sweetheart. We will try and handle most things so you can be free, but I think Etheria is doing something so we have to be cautious. But for now, let's relax a bit. It's been a long day."

"Yeah it has. Oh, Eclipsa! How's Meteora?" Eclipsa smiled at Star changing the subject, happy to have it done with so quickly.

"She's such a handful. Always getting up to hijinx and being adorable. She does enjoy spending time with Meripossa so I hope they grow up to be good friends. Would make it easy on us since the Diaz's are such good caretakers." Jackie gleefully chimed in on that.

"I don't think you have any worries on that front Eclipsa. From what Star told me they were like sisters after spending a few years in the neverzone."

"Yes. I remember." Eclipsa looked on in a neutral stare as they remembered her rage when Star accidently told her and Globgor about the incident. Missing her daughter growing up not once, but twice was a huge blow.

"Right. Well, we'll have to prepare for that day they can start doing things. They'll probably get into a ton of trouble like Star did. Though hopefully with a lot less, help." Eclipsa smiled at Moon, happy someone else knew this pain at least.

"Indeed. That's why we gotta keep working at this, like Reign does." Star gave a small smile to Jackie, which surprised everyone. It had been unintentional to say his name again, but it did reveal one thing; Reign himself wasn't the problem anymore. And soon, hopefully they wouldn't have any problems in that regard. The group of four soon began to talk about their days, none of which was more interesting than occasional tidbits of Belinda going around and confronting the maids who had been ignoring parts of their duties for no good reason. It was a nice, long bath that ended with Star and Jackie leaving to get some rest for their next day of work.

\--

"Good Morning Star!" Star awoke with a large smile on her face. Marco had just come to wake her up for date day and after the previous day of cleaning the ballrooms of the castle. It wasn't particularly hard, and since Jackie was assigned with her the two had an easy time of it all. They even finished early much to Belinda's surprise when they reported in. She said she'd review in the morning to make sure it's up to par, but wished them a good day off.

"Well hello boyfriend. What's for breakfast? Cause it smells an awful lot like your mom's super delicious breakfast tacos!" Star smiled widely as Marco chuckled. He reached out into the hallway and dragged in a serving cart, loaded with tacos, sausage, bacon, eggs, and even some blueberry waffles.

"Just a little something for us to enjoy. But first…" Marco brought the cart near and as the door closed her maneuvered over to Star, still topless from her sleep, and kissed her gently on the lips. It was quick, but Star didn't care. It had been their first kiss since a few minutes before finding out about her marriage. It was everything she didn't even know she needed. It ended all too soon as Marco stared at her lovingly. He eventually tore away his gaze to grab a plate and much to Star's delight, began to feed her. She happily accepted and, even though she knew his eyes were wandering over her when he thought she wasn't looking, she didn't mind. He was being so romantic already that a little look couldn't hurt. It took her an almost agonizing twenty minutes to eat the cart, only broken when he finally just offered her the cart when he knew she was at her limit. She thanked him before immediately pouncing on it and devouring it.

"Well Marco. I need to get dressed, but first~" Star leaned in and captured him in a kiss, deeper than the one earlier that morning as her arms wrapped around his muscled chest and he found a grip on her waist, just above her butt. She idly noticed his fingers dipping down lower as the kiss went on and finally ended it when she felt him grip her butt, a small moan escaping her. "Now hold on Diaz. I'm not ready for that kind of action yet. Even with a proper wooing today I'm wanting to remain chaste just a bit longer. But these lips are yours on demand, tiger." She gave him a quick peck on the lips as she backed off, turning around as her tail swished around happily.

"Okay milady. Then allow me to take this back downstairs while you get dressed. I have several hours planned and I want to make today amazing." She heard the cart begin to move and leave as she blushed profusely. She couldn't believe he could be so, bold. And she couldn't lie that she didn't like it. In fact, she liked it a bit too much. If he hadn't stopped where she pushed him away, well, this would have been a very, very heated beginning.

She snapped herself out of her stupor and began to change. She needed a new set of panties after that morning and she had the perfect set of underwear stored away, a lacy, pink set she bought with Jackie when she helped Jackie pick out a similar black set while she was dating Marco. She smiled largely as she put it on and then looked at her clothes. Normally she liked to wear dresses everywhere, but the thought of anyone besides Marco seeing her in this underwear felt wrong, so she changed it up. She grabbed a tight, blue shirt and her pair of modified skinny jeans with some fashionable holes in them and wore them along with a pair of sandals. She grabbed her purse and threw inside a pair of shoes, her classic horned boots, and a pair of socks just in case. Thinking quickly, she threw an entire new outfit inside just in case she couldn't control herself.

Just then, a thought occurred to her. She was being overly forward too. She knew her mom said something about her cycle. She thought a moment harder than dove for her phone. She quickly checked on her personal calendar and sighed in relief. She wasn't at the part where emotion would definitely rule over reason. She chuckled a little to herself as she got back up and straightened out her outfit. Even if something happened, she'd be safe. She took a deep breath and opened her door to find Marco just down the hall coming around a corner. He smiled and waved which she returned gleefully. She closed her door and met him, his signature red, hoodie outfit on.

"Ready for our date?"

"Ready as I'll ever be Star." They smiled as Marco opened a portal. "Wait, just one more thing." He quickly grabbed her hand and held it dearly. "Perfect." The couple smiled and stepped through the portal, ending up in front of one of Star's most wanted to visit places. The amusement park by the ocean.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so excited!"

"Yeah, we have all day to enjoy ourselves soooohhh!" Marco was interrupted as Star pulled him along to the entrance, his smile never ceasing as memories of past adventures filled his head. As they got to the gate he handed the man some money and they were inside. Their first stop? The tunnel of love.

"Let's ride this one first!"

"Okay Star, let's do this!" The two got in line and rode it through the dark tunnel, Star grabbed on to his right arm early and never let go, enjoying the feeling of him as they rode along in their little, pink heart. Both smiling and giggling as they all too soon exited into daylight. "Wow, that was, short."

"Yeah, sorry kid. Used to be longer but after an issue with a lift we closed off more than half the ride." Marco looked at the nearby attendant who was clearly used to the comment.

"Huh, do they have an estimated repair date?"

"Not yet. So far it's been a pain to find the parts we need so it might get torn down and updated for a better transportation system. Management is still deciding."

"Well, that's lame. Thanks for letting us know." The attendant nodded and the two walked off towards another staple attraction, the carousel.

"Um, are those horses real porcelain horses?"

"No Star. Their made of porcelain, but not the living kind. They're just sort of there to ride."

"You just ride around in a circle."

"Yes."

"... Next." Marco really didn't blame Star. It was more of a kids thing but he remembered plenty of movies where the girl liked it. He didn't watch those with Star, so he couldn't really argue his point, but he didn't really want to as the next ride he knew was up her alley. "And this is?"

"A rollercoaster. It's a thrill ride of fast twists and turns. It's safe, but can really get the blood pumping." Star smiled at the words and, still having been latched onto Marco, went towards the rollercoaster. She could see the ride itself with an empty cart riding up the attraction.

"Isn't that supposed to carry people?"

"Uhhh." Marco looked around as they got close and noticed a sign. "Says here the ride is down for maintenance and should be open in about an hour."

"Lame. Well, what can we do to pass the time?"

"Well, I had hoped to do this after, but we could play some park games?"

"We can do that at an arcade."

"Yes, but they also have carnival style games. Like the strongman challenge over there." Marco pointed to a seesaw contraption with a weight on one end and a board on the same side. A man was standing nearby holding a small, red hammer.

"And the point is?"

"Ring the bell, win a prize!"

"Sounds easy enough."

"Allow me Star." Star gestured for him to lead as she followed, never letting go of his hand as they approached the attendant.

"Welcome young man. Ready to prove your physical prowess to your, uh, lady friend?" The attendant only gave a small pause, but Marco could feel a twinge of anger. Star had been a big deal in town and most didn't even react to her anymore. He stopped his rage when he remembered that this day wasn't about him. It was about Star, and he didn't seem to hold any further attention to her.

"Yes sir. I'd like a few attempts at it."

"Okay champ. One dollar for five tries or a quarter a try. Reach a milestone win a prize. One prize per milestone per day per customer." Marco smiled as he took the hammer. He had lots of practice with such weapons in the neverzone and since he hadn't skimped on his training, he felt more than able to ring the bell.

"Here's a quarter. This will be easy." The attendant handed Marco the hammer and he got in his stance. He winked at Star as he lifted the hammer, he tensed all his muscles and forced the hammer down, clean hit. The weight shot up but Marco knew the result from the impact. No ding.

"Damn son. Just shy of a win. Not gonna lie, didn't think you had it in ya. Pick two prizes from the tiers."

"... Again." Marco flipped the man another quarter as he tried again, he hit slightly higher this time, but there was still a gap."

"Nice hit."

"Again." He reached into his pocket and handed the man a dollar. Star watched as he swung four more times, the first two were about the same height as the others, but the third hit was nearly a full foot short. His fourth hit was barely even halfway up. "What the heck."

"Hey, let me try Marco." Marco looked at Star and her challenging spirit. Without a word he gave her the hammer and sat down, his body tired from the quick, but big hits. Star lined up the hammer and swung down, it was a solid hit that flew up and gonged the bell.

"We have a winner here!" Star smiled and began bouncing with joy as Marco looked on. He smiled as he looked at Star's jubilation, but he couldn't help but feel saddened as she picked out the three prizes he had paid for. He had wanted to prove his strength and show off to her, but instead she had to take the win for the two of them. And since he paid for the attempts, her win was also his win, so neither could compete again today for a prize. Marco recovered quickly and within minutes they were at other games. Marco called them carny games and Star loved their simplicity. Again and again they played and enjoyed themselves until finally they made their way back to the rollercoaster, several prizes in hand.

As promised the ride was now opened, and with a short line courtesy of a school day, both quickly made their way to the front of the line. Star was especially excited to be in the front and was shaking in joy as she waited for the ride to begin.

"Now remember Star, this isn't an especially major rollercoaster. There are faster and more amazing ones in the world. Just this is here." Star nodded excitedly as she held Marco's hand tighter. He smiled at her as the ride shifted. It was a tense twenty seconds for Marco as he recalled the last time he rode a rollercoaster. He had inadvertently puked during the ride and somehow managed to hit Jackie who was walking around below. It was the worst field trip of his third grade life, and that actually was saying something. Then again, how bad could it be? He'd been on far scarier adventures both with Star and in the Neverzone. Surely a rollercoaster, checked for safety not even an hour prior, would be fine.

He regretted that thought as the ride began, as soon as they hit the first dip Marco was already holding his restraint for dear life as Star lifted her hands into the sky. He began to scream in terror as Star began to scream in excitement. Every twist, every turn, and every dip eliciting another jolt of joy from the girl while Marco felt his stomach rise. Just as the end was coming in sight, the ride threw him one last trick, a twisting loop.

He lost it and vomited then and there. Unfortunately, his face was forcefully turned towards Star, hitting her square in the face. Her joyful cry was cut short as his vomit entered her mouth, causing her to vomit as well, but unlike Marco, hers was straight forward, and this resulted in her getting hit with her own vomit as well. By the time the ride stopped, she bolted forward, looking for a bathroom with a terrified Marco following as closely as he could.

She entered a bathroom just as Marco turned the corner, his eyes watching as she entered a one-person bathroom. It was gender neutral as he approached, and he quickly noticed she had locked the door tight.

"Star?!"

"Just, just wait out there Marco. I need to get this vomit off or I'll smell like it all day."

"I'm so sorry Star."

"It's okay Marco, things happen just give me a moment. Okay?" Her voice dropped from panic to calm, causing Marco to come down a bit from his panic.

"...Okay." Marco backed off and found a nearby bench. He sat down and waited almost twenty minutes before Star emerged. He immediately dashed over and grabbed her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Star."

"Hey, it's okay. Things happen. I mean, it ruined the mood so far, but it wasn't on purpose, and i otherwise enjoyed the ride. So please, calm down. We can just, move on from here." Star gave her best comforting smile. He didn't need to know she had actually cast a silence spell after he walked away while she broke down for a few minutes. "So, what now?"

"Well, it's lunch time, but-"

"Yay lunch time!" Star smiled widely as she grabbed Marco's hand. She was genuinely ready for some food, especially after clearing her stomach.

"Okay Star. Let's get some lunch. We've got a few places to pick from here. We got hotdogs, burgers, chilichese fries, nachos, um, that's, pretty much it for food outside of deserts like cotton candy and ice cream." Star actually felt deflated. She had hoped he would have brought a lunch, but he had brought her a breakfast in bed and he had fed her, so she wouldn't complain and would wait for dinner for her next magical meal. She gleefully followed him to a stand and began ordering food. It was an hour later when they set off for the next fun part of the day, a haunted house kept running all year. Except….

"It's a what now?"

"A puppet theatre. We changed it after the haunted house nearly burned entirely to the ground last year and the printing company hasn't sent out the knew park guides yet. Sorry man." Marco and Star felt dejected. Star knew Marco could handle a measly haunted house, but to see it gone was a huge blow to him. But as she thought about it, something didn't make sense. She couldn't place it though as the two walked off again.

"Well Star, I only have one other thing. I had hoped to save it for later on, but I guess now will do."

"And what is that, Marco?"

"It's the Ferris wheel!" He waved grandly at a large, slowly spinning wheel with carriages in in.

"Um, okay?"

"It's a romantic thing. It, would have been better if the sun was low or setting, but it's a little alone time for couples."

"Oh, well, that sounds nice actually. Let's try it out!" Star smiled again as the two walked towards the ferris wheel. Except…

"Oh come on!"

"Sorry kid. We're down for maintenance."

"But the tunnel of love, rollercoaster and haunted house have also been down!"

"Yeah well the previous owner let park maintenance go down the crapper and now we're sort of in a bind. It was either get it repaired, or sell out. We have enough customers, so we went with repairs, but it'll be a few months before we're done. That's why entry is so cheap."

"Oh man." Marco began to walk away as Star followed him out of the park. "Well, that's plan A down, on to plan B!" Marco smiled again as Star recalled all the plans Marco would make. It was adorable seeing some things never change, though it seemed odd Marco knew so little of what was happening on Earth, especially when he had planned everything out. "Now come with me Star! We got a few movies to choose from, in theatre!" Star jumped for joy as she grabbed Marco's hand. Marco used his other hand to quickly cut a portal with his scissors that Star dragged them through. They ended up in the mall and in a matter of moments they were in the theatre lobby picking a movie.

"I'm still not sure if I want to watch this Triple Seven movie, or this Tungsten Man movie." Marco held a smile as best he could. He had immediately suggested a romance movie he heard was good, only for Star to shoot it down in seconds. He then offered her a slasher feature and she shot it down instantly. It wasn't that he didn't want to watch the two she was deliberating on, but he wanted a romantic feel to come back. This just felt like one of their Friendship Thursdays all over again.

"How about the Triple Seven movie? Tungsten Man will be out on DVD sooner than it so we can watch it then."

"Okay! Two for Triple Seven please." The half-asleep teenager in the booth slowly reached down and grabbed two tickets. He took the money Marco laid out and placed the two tickets in their place.

"It's on your right when you enter the main lobby. It's the only theatre in that direction. Please enjoy." The young man quickly fell asleep as Star and Marco left him to get their drinks and snacks. Star's eyes lit up as she saw the extra large popcorn and nachos be placed before them, and as soon as they were in the theatre proper, she could hardly contain herself.

"This is so exciting. You've never brought me to a theatre on Earth before!"

"Well, it's different from Mewni's theatres, but I don't see anyone else yet so for now we can be as loud as we want. Just, be respectful of other people watching the movie. Okay?"

"Got it sugar lips." Star leaned forward and pecked Marco's lips giving him a goofy grin. There wasn't much more time as the opening credits started. Marco loved this theatre for this. Unlike most theatres, for just a bit extra you could skip the opening advertisements and get straight for the movie. He hoped and prayed the romantic moments of the movie would allow him to have a moment with Star.

\--

It was a hope that died horribly slowly. The movie itself was actually really good. The action and pacing was flawless, but the main lady was never a romantic interest for the spy as it was revealed immediately that she was his sister. It ended well, but Marco had no snuggling time with Star, meaning the day was still only a partial success.

"So my awesome boyfriend, what's next?"

"Next is, well, dinner." Star began to smile widely. Surely nothing could go wrong with dinner. Marco pulled out his scissors and quickly cut another portal. Again, and without a word, Star took Marco's hand and led him through, finding herself at a rather interesting place.

"Your house?"

"Yeah. I figured after today I'd make us a nice dinner for just the two of us. Whatever you want, I'll make it for us, and we'll enjoy ourselves at our pace without any interruptions. Even my parents are out tonight So we can-"

"Mijo, is that you?" Marco went rigid as he spied the upstairs window open.

"Dad? What happened? I thought you and mom went on vacation?"

"Well, we did, but Maripossa and Angie fell ill on the road so we came back home. Little Possa is doing better but your mother still has a high fever. I'm afraid I recommend against your plan little one." Marco felt his heart shatter. This was his final back-up as it was still too early to go to the restaurant he wanted too as it didn't open up for another hour, but too late to make the reservation he prepared at his other choice. He couldn't suggest the park as they already had an action moment at the amusement park, and a rest at the theatre. He was actually, stuck."

"That's okay Mr. Diaz. You just keep those ladies in good health!"

"Will do Senorita!" The man closed the window and disappeared from it.

"Well Marco, what's the next back-up?"

"Uh, this, was my last back-up. The issues at the park sort of ran me down to my last plan due to time constraints."

"Oh. Well, if you don't mind. I have an idea to spend some time together." Star held out her hand and Marco put his scissors in her hands with a smile. She returned the smile and cut open a portal. She again grabbed his hand but instead of pulling him through, they walked through it together and into one of the strangest rooms Marco had ever seen.

It looked like a repurposed Victorian style house's entryway made into a hotel, and when Star rang a small bell, he realized he wasn't far off. From just out of view a man in a dark coat appeared. Or at least he assumed it was a man. The being did not speak, merely producing a small book onto the counter and placing a pen nearby. Marco quickly read the top of it.

'Indescript Hotel.' Marco raised an eyebrow as Star grabbed the pen and wrote on one line two names, but as she wrote theirs down, the letters scrambled and became unreadable. The being closed the book abruptly and put down a keychain with a single key. Star took it up and began to guide Marco down a hallway. It was a silent affair and he felt confused as they passed by several doors, each one feeling strange and out of place. Suddenly Star stopped in front of one. He looked at it and felt comfort at this one door. It was like home. Star opened the door and the two stepped in, and as soon as the door closed, Marco felt a weight lift off of him.

"Star, what is this place?"

"The Indiscript Hotel. It's a mysterious dimension where whatever happens here, is essentially lost to history. No one will know we came here, no one can confirm we were here, and no one can find us here. In one legendary tale Heckapoo tracked a criminal here and used over ten thousand clones to search for one guy. After twelve years she found none of the one hundred seventeen thousand guests who were in and out of the hotel during that time."

"Whoa. So, we're essentially off the map as far as everyone is concerned?"

"Yup." Star smiled as she entered further into the room, taking the time to walk sensually towards the bed before jumping onto it and enjoying the feeling of simply relaxing. Marco however, was starting to feel heated.

"And we're here because you want to, do what exactly?"

"Cuddle. Maybe to a nice little movie or something. But I want to be able to just, be with you for a bit." She looked at him with so much want that Marco's heart nearly shattered. He smiled softly as he approached the bed and laid down on it.

"Sounds like a plan Star."

"Okay. Let me just set an alarm so we can go back before it gets too late. I do still have a few more chores."

"Yeah, I get to go back out on patrol again. But let's forget that now. Because now, it's just you and me." Marco smiled at Star and she returned it. She set down her phone on the footboard while Marco adjusted his laying position. Star crawled up to his side, nestling her head onto his shoulder as the t.v. in the room turned on and auto picked a nice little movie to play in the background as the couple simply lay there, enjoying the other's presence. It wasn't long before the couple fell asleep, their recent troubles not even a blip on the radar.

\--

Star groaned as she hit her alarm. It had been a few days since her date and today was the last day for chores. Then she had to deal with Reign. She began to dread the ending of her freedom, but her hope was she would have some time to at least figure out what the book was really about. But that was for later. Right now was work.

Star stood up, and began her now ingrained routine of getting ready for the day. She was not looking forward to whatever task her mother had arranged for today, but she knew it wasn't going to be easy. She stepped outside only to run into Belinda.

"Head Maid! To what do I owe the visit?"

"Well Star, I am here to guide you to your final job. Are you ready?"

"Yes Head Maid." Belinda nodded and began to walk, Star following closely behind.

"You know, when I first heard you were going to be a maid for a few days I was ready to hide most of the fragile items away or to even give you the most menial of tasks. It wasn't all that long ago that you were a ball of energy that even you couldn't control. But I guess with everything that has happened, you've grown up. Gone is the little girl who was so scared and depressed the multiverse was the ultimate enemy, gone is the teenager who wanted some love, and here is the woman who has found a sort of peace with herself. I may not say this much, so remember this Star. When you take over, I'll be as loyal to you as I am to your mother." Star looked at the Head Maid. It was clearly not what she had wanted to say, but Star could interpret the words just fine.

"And thank you for giving me the chance to prove myself, Head Maid." The two women went silent as they finished their trek towards a small ballroom Star remembered hosting Stump day so very long ago. She entered to find it barren besides Jackie and-

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Well my little Monstar, I'm here because of what you're doing today. I sort of hijacked you from your intended task, and arranged a new one. Star, it's Moon's birthday." Star went wide-eyed at that revelation. "Now, she thinks you're doing something big, but especially after your first day, well, let's say you've earned a relatively easy one." Toffee smiled, bringing a smile to Star's face as well. "So, let's get decorating, shall we?"

"Oh! I need to grab my gift from my room first. I bought it last month and with everything going on I forgot what today was."

"Well then hurry little one. We have an important task ahead."

\--

"So, are we in time for the surprise?" A short, golden-haired man asked Toffee as he approached him.

"Yes River. Your the first to arrive actually."

"The better to pick a good spot! Ever since Moon got me good at my twenty-third I've been planning a way to get her back just as good!"

"You know she didn't do it on purpose, right?"

"But of course. I'm not that out of it. I just want to give my best friend a good laugh!"

"I can understand that River. Where is your wife by the way?"

"She's in the bathroom. She'll be around shortly."

"That's good to hear. Come on in though old friend. We are almost done decorating." River nodded and walked on by, a large smile crossing his face as he entered the room. There were moon shaped balloons everywhere, banners of blue and silver, hundreds of presents and a cake twice as tall as Toffee with Star currently fighting the urge to take a bite.

"Star!" The girl immediately whipped around and smiled.

"Uncle River!" Star leapt out and was caught with ease by River, holding her tightly against himself in a crushing hug that she gleefully returned. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Wouldn't ever miss it. I mean, if she had chosen me I'd probably be your dad!" Star giggled at that. He always brought it up whenever he had a chance.

"Come now River, we both know it would have taken a drastic event for her not to choose Toffee. Even I could see that." Star somehow disengaged from River and ran up to the elderly woman walking in. Unlike with River, she softly embraced this woman.

"Grandma Comet. It's been over a month since I saw you last!"

"Indeed my little shining Star. I've been a bit busy, but rest assured I've not forgotten you." The older woman smiled warmly at Star as Star carefully lead her to a chair.

"It still amazes me that at one point Comet was seen as the second coming of Solaria." River looked to his side to see a disembodied warnicorn head floating beside him. It dwarfed him in every way as he looked at the pair making their way to a few seats.

"Indeed old chap. She's come a long way ever since Star was born. I still can't believe she almost killed the child."

"Yes, but as we've learned, Star is great at winning people over. I've never seen my family so together since she gave that speech when Heinous attacked."

"Yes, but tell me, how fairs the family after, well."

"It fairs well. We Ponyheads are a strong family. We will persevere."

"And how are you?"

"You know all too well how I feel."

"Indeed I do Ponyhead. Indeed I do." The pair watched as Star fetched Comet a drink, a warmth spreading through them as the two attempted to pamper the other.

"Well, I see that scene hasn't changed in over a year." The two turned around to see a floating blue pixie.

"Bonibell, how are you doing?"

"Oh same as ever, finding a man willing to stay tied down is such a chore. It's a shame neither of you was born a pixie. I'd still be able to show you a good time." The pixie laughed as the men both chuckled.

"Well if you try it again now and he better put you in your place Miss Bonibell." Bonibell looked over her shoulder to see three more faces. A tall, slender man without a face, a short, beaked monster reminiscent of a kappa, and a tall, slender woman with green eyes and hair.

"Well Dutchess, I've put him in his place a few times before you entered the picture, perhaps you'd like to see how well I work. Again."

"Hah! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me thirty-seven times, shame on me." The group chuckled as they hugged one another. But it wasn't long before a call came out.

"Okay everyone, hide!" The group's scattered as best they could. Comet being the only one in the open, but in a spot she hoped Moon wouldn't notice without the lights. A hushed silence fell as three voices could be heard outside.

"And I'm telling you Moon, you have to tell me what you feed Star! I want my Meteora to grow up just as healthy."

"Indeed Miss Moon. My little one deserves to have a good life and you clearly have some ideas."

"Well I don't mean to brag, but I just feed her what I myself should eat. Just in larger quantities." The door began to open and the tension in the room rose to a fever pitch. "I for one-" as Moon entered and lit the lights, everyone jumped out, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Surprise!" The entire bunch jumped out with both Eclipsa and Globgor joining in from behind. Moon was shocked before breaking out into a heartfelt laugh.

"For me? Oh you shouldn't have."

"Oh come on Moonpie, of course we did. We love you too much not to!"

"Oh River. You keep calling me that nickname and a certain someone will be sending you to the dungeon for a night or two!"

"Oh come on Moonie. I'm not jealous of the friendship you two have. Trust me, It would take a lot to make me truly aggravated at you two. Nowadays." Dutchess replied with a smile. The entire group was now surrounding Moon, giving her hellos and and congratulations, all but three. Star, Toffee and Comet sat off to the side, waiting their turn.

"My little Moon has grown so much these last few years. It's hard to believe that not so long ago I was holding her in my arms after waking up amidst the war."

"Indeed. She has become an amazing young woman. Worthy of all this respect and admiration. A trait I know has been passed on."

"Nonsense. Little Star here has long surpassed mere admiration. There may always be those who oppose this unity, but most of our people adore her after what she did. Even Mina talks about equality with a fervor now." Toffee raised an eyebrow at that. Surely this couldn't have been the same Mina.

"How is Mina doing with her rehabilitation?"

"Well, she's honestly doing great. She's made huge strides towards bridging the gap between mewmans and monsters and has even jumped out to defend monsters from mewmans a few times. Of course her body is clearly taking the toll from her time as a Solarian Warrior, but she's getting better as a person."

"I'm glad. She was the sad product of a poisonous thought process, born from senseless hate. I hope that someday soon, we can all get along that way." Toffee ruffled Star's hair as Comet put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. And from what I hear, we've again started relations with one of the nations responsible for ending the war?" Star and Toffee went silent. No one paid them any mind and thus they was no worry of being overheard, but that didn't change how they felt. "It's nothing to be alarmed about. I remember meeting Babsibaraie when she took the throne. She was a powerful woman with a rough edge. She had to be. But I nearly ended our nonaggression pact when she began making demands of equality from us."

"Huh? She made, demands of you grandma? That's surprising."

"Not so my little Monstar. They have been a powerhouse long before us and they have done such things in the past. If memory serves, Comet and Babs debated so long on this topic that when Moon and I sought their aid Babs walked inside the throne room trying to continue your last argument before realizing she was dealing with the acting queen and not the sitting one."

"It serves you well Toffee. From what Moon later told me it was why they readily agreed to arm you, though a certain deal was made for the very necessary troops needed to win the war itself once the throne was taken by my mother."

"Yes. Not our finest decision. But time waits for no one."

"But death does. Right Mr. Immortal?"

"Oh please. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I know I'll outlive Moon, and that thought terrifies me more than you can ever know."

"... I believe I know it pretty well too. If not for the same reason." Both adults looked wistfully at Moon as Star suddenly felt the weight her own blood carried. What would happen with her? Being half Septarian could make her just as immortal as her father, and that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Now I can't avoid saying thank you to these three for such a wonderful surprise. Then we can open presents River." The short man nodded as he and the thin man began to talk to each other, giving space to the family for just a moment. "Really, I appreciate it all, but Toffee dear, I'll always be in your heart, and our family lives on in Star, and eventually, her children. Our love will live on."

"I know my love, but it doesn't make it any easier. When I thought you lost I nearly, well, you know."

"I do. But that's all in the past. Mom, Dear, Star. Thank you. Truly, thank you." Moon grabbed the three of them in a big hug, one the three returned as best as possible.

"We love you my little Moonlight." The words of Comet served to strengthen the hug Moon had before she let go. The woman was on the verge of tears as she pulled away, happy just to have her family there for her.

"Present time!" River announced, holding aloft a large, bottle shaped gift. Moon rolled her eyes as she summoned some magic, levitating Comet just above the floor, still seated in her chair.

"I can still walk you know."

"I know mother. But today is also the day you and I became family. So deal with it." The two women stared at each other, a smile spread across their faces, as Moon ushered them towards the cake. The gifts were unwrapped in just twenty minutes, a wine bottle from the Johanssons, a new bathrobe from King Ponyhead, and several souvenirs from many of the more exotic guests, including a meal pass for 'Royal Eats', a restaurant so expensive, whole nations had gone bankrupt trying to pay a single meal. The gifts wound down to just three.

Star's gift went first. It was a photo album she made using Earth's technology that showed as much as possible about her life and accomplishments, with spaces for more to add later. Toffee had gotten Moon a first edition of a two hundred year old romance novel Moon loved, that was signed by the original author. Finally, Comet had gotten her a recreation of the wand giving ceremony in a little diorama she had been making for a few weeks. Each one brought Moon to tears as everyone spread their love. Until-

"Package for Queen Moon Butterfly!" A short, anthropomorphic moose-like man began to run inside, holding a small, delicately wrapped package. "Sorry for the delay. It was supposed to be delivered earlier, but I got distracted by pizza again. Anyway, here you go. Later!" The creature bolted out of the room before a word could be said, leaving many eyes on Moon as she read the gift tag.

'To: Moon

From: Babs'

The room remained silent as Moon read off the tag a few more times. Glances were shared for several seconds before Moon began unwrapping the present. Star felt her own curiosity peak, everyone had gotten worried when this appeared, and now she wanted to know why, but she knew better. It was not the time to bring up anything.

Slowly and methodically, Moon carefully unwrapped the gift, a slender, plain white box. She carefully found the lid and opened it. Inside was a sight she never thought she'd see from her old friend again. It was a necklace, one that held a locket that folded open. She shakily reached for it and opened it, a small tear fell from her eyes. On one side was an engraving, the other a picture. The picture was of the two in their younger days, shortly after the war effort had taken the castle back. The words, a single sentence.

'Friends once, and forever more.'

Moon felt the tears roll down her cheek as memories of her younger days came flooding back. She stood there, until her hands began to move, the necklace swiftly finding a place around her neck. Her moment ending as she turned around, a bright smile on her face.

"Well, what are we waiting for. Let's have some fun!"

\--

The party lasted over three hours before it was called. Star was very surprised that despite all their regality, everyone was able to cut loose like they were her age. Especially her own mother who downed half a keg by herself! But jubilation has its limits and since the next day they would be hosting a new guest, that limit was ten in the evening. Star sat down on her bed and with the flood of thoughts about Reign, she had again opened the book to find hundreds of blank pages.

"Seriously. Can't anything just be transparent for me for just once! First Glossaryck spends my entire life being cryptic, then I find out everyone has an ulterior motive, then I find out no one is truthful about our own damn history, and now the Overture's supposedly give me a book to understand them, and it's unreadable. What am I supposed to do to read this damn thing?!" No sooner had the words left her lips did the pages begin to turn by themselves. A flurry of them until it reached a page a tenth of the way into the book. Star immediately had her eyes glued as words began to appear.

'_These pages shall remain blank before those unworthy. To the worthy, ask thy questions and receive thy answers. Be forwarned, not all secrets are mine to tell._'

Star stared at the book with renewed hope. The book was more than she imagined. Heck, it seemed more useful than her own Book of Spells had been! She quickly began to think of questions to ask, when one immediately sprang forward.

"Does Reign want this marriage to happen?" The pages began to flip, landing a fair distance in and some words appeared.

'_The details are not mine to give, but the boy does not disagree with the marriage, or the partner, merely the mechanism by which it is occurring._'

"... Did Reign have anything to do with getting this marriage arranged?"

'_The details are mine to give. Yes. He-_'

Star's heart broke. She slammed the book shut and latched it locked. A tear falling down her face.

"I trusted you. I stood up for you." She laid down on her bed, the tears streaming down her face as she cried herself to sleep.

**A/N**

**So, gonna start off this note with an answer to a few questions I've gotten recently. First, about Monstar and Marco relationship status, while I often feel giddy about any Star and Marco ship, I can't give you an answer to which is canonical to my story. Yet. I can say I will be making a second ending to the story based on a what if scenario that will show what the other route would have been. Meaning for those of you who want an answer soon, too bad!**

**This is less about tension and more about how I feel they would act. I don't think anything Marco WOULD do could drive Star away that easily, and I think their relationship is very strong. Yet Star has had a habit of liking different boys for different reasons, even if she likes someone else. I have a lot I won't say for spoiler reasons, but I hope to keep you entertained until we get there.**

**Next is how important characters will be in the future. The fact that I reference Game of Thrones is not a simple play on words. Everyone is going to be important. Heck. For all intents and purposes, Tom could be in the fight for Bab's throne (he isn't). So the Overtures, our favorite SVtFoE characters, Ampha, and a few other characters will be important later on. And later on could be next chapter.**

**Well, that's all that's been asked so far. But I do want to respond publicly to a few comments.**

**To Allen Vth:**

**Again, thank you for the reviews. I do appreciate constructive criticism. You have mentioned too much talking and too much exposition and I do apologize for that. I just feel that at first it wouldn't be all that actiony, and I may have taken that a bit too extreme and applied it in a way that took away from characters actually doing things. And don't worry, we won't be stuck in the past forever. As stated in the previous chapter, we are now going to shift our focus to the here and now more and more often. But the past is written in stone, and we need to see it done.**

**And I do agree that a villain shouldn't always be defeated with a fist to the face. As a wise man once said:**

**'_The pen is not mightier than the sword, nor is the sword mightier than the pen. The truly wise know when it is wiser to use one or the other._'**

**No idea where that is from, and I probably misquoted that, but still, it's pretty good advice.**

**To Book of Eli:**

**As above, I don't want to give the climax to that part of the story away, but as I think it deserves to be told I will have an alternate ending where Star makes a different choice. And maybe a third one because why not. Heck, I have a variation of one of them that might become number four. I do hope you can forgive me for not spoiling it, but doing so would ruin a few things into the future.**

**I do hope you're enjoying the story though.**

**And to all my readers:**

**Feel free to comment or ask questions. I may not answer all of them due to spoilers, but I will do my best to at least respond.**

**Now, I gotta go back to my hole and rework chapter 5 and write chapter 6. Next, Reign arrives, and Star will find some answers with some interesting questions.**


	5. Monstar Read

Star awoke with a small groan. Looking at her alarm she noted it was currently just past three in the morning. She just couldn't sleep. The fact that she had trusted Reign was making her feel ill. Her entire body shuddered at the very thought that she was in the predicament because of him. She sat up on the bed and grabbed the still-nearby book. Undoing the lock, she opened the book, the pages flipping back to where she was previously. She was about to ask a question when she noticed a large amount of text on the page.

_'The details are mine to give. Yes. He was part of a deciding body of power to determine which prince should marry Princess Star Butterfly. The first option, Prince Gorbin, was removed for a current marriage with child and his status as heir to the throne. Second Prince Torro was then offered and nearly selected when he was named to be courting Duchess Reya's daughter, Lady Maria Reya. This relationship was judged to be of very high importance to the kingdom.__Reign was originally thrown out as well due to biases against him and his uncle, Duke Lor, was named to be the husband. The council had decided and Duke Lor requested the marriage be in just forty-nine days. The council was about to issue the demand when Prince Reign and Princess Aria successfully argued that Duke Lor's age of forty-seven was ill fit for the still seventeen year old princess. Duke Lor vehemently objected but the council was presented enough reason to choose Reign over Lor. Three days later and Duke Lor was found guilty of several minor crimes against the Royal family and was removed from the list of suitors permanently, and his position in line for the throne was put in limbo.__The following morning *redacted by the Will of the First King*. *redacted by the Will of the First King*. *redacted by the Will of the First King*. *redacted by the Will of the First King*. Prince Reign then met Star Butterfly alongside his mother.'_

Star stared heavily at the pages. She had been ready to rip Reign to shreds, but once again she was thankful she hadn't the chance. Yet again the boy was innocent of wrongdoing. She certainly didn't want to marry an old man! She felt her stomach sink as she thought on it more and realized she had done it again. People had judged her all her life and here she was judging Reign without many facts. She knew there was more to learn, but it was late, and she knew the day would be draining. So she closed the book, locked it tight, and attempted to sleep, this time finding it with relative ease.

"Star!" Star awoke with a jolt. Several of her alarms were blaring as Marco and Jackie were over her with terror in their eyes.

"Good morning?" Star smiled sheepishly as she reached over and dismissed her alarm clock. Jackie moved away, sighing in relief as Marco leaned in and gave Star a peck on her nose before he pulled away. Star smiled at him as she reached over and disabled her mirror phone alarm. Marco felt his willpower faltering and turned away just as Star crawled out of bed. "Well, let me get ready and we can go wait for Reign."

"He's sort of supposed to arrive within the next few minutes Star."

"Shit. Okay, new plan. Jackie, take Marco and go stall for time if he shows up before me. I'll be right down in a minute." Jackie nodded and grabbed Marco, pulling him along out of the room as the door closed. Star sighed as she used her magic and locked the door, and turned towards her full body mirror.

She looked herself up and down, smiling as she observed how her body had changed over the last few years. Though mewberty had been an experience, her body had developed into a lovely series of curves that, while not as pronounced as Eclipsa's, blew her mother's away. She hoped with all her heart that like her father she would look this good for all her life.

Shaking herself from her self-appreciating fixation, she moved over towards her wardrobe and began looking at her formal wear. She went through a few outfits, including her black outfit from the Blood Moon Ball. She wished she hadn't used the severing stone to get rid of that curse, but she couldn't help but have a faint glow as she looked at the sole reminder of it. With a breath she continued to look, finally settling on a dark blue dress with gold trim that King River had given her a few birthdays back. She hit it with a touch of magic for sizing and put it on. She smiled as it hugged her body just right, and was thankful his wife picked one with ample support for her chest. She headed over to her mirror and, using magic, styled her own hair and did her make-up. She gave herself a final once over before walking over to some blue heels.

"Okay girl. Showtime." She looked at the clock, it had barely been four minutes since she had been awoken. "And I need to remember not to abuse magic. Stupid bad habits." Star took a deep breath as she adorned her heels and made her way quickly towards the castle gate.

She arrived without much delay and found herself staring at an empty reception area, not a carriage to be seen. She then noted that everyone who had shown up had dressed well for the event. Toffee was in his usual suit while Moon had worn her usual, elegant dress. Marco was wearing a suit similar to Toffee's but red and a ceremonial sword at his hip. Jackie was in a light green dress and her hair had been straightened, a fact she had missed in her sleepy haze. She walked up between her parents and friends as a familiar wound ripped from just ahead. Suddenly a carriage pulled by yellow and white striped horses appeared out of a portal and pulled up alongside the curb, just in front of the group. A short man with green curls stepped off the side of the carriage and bowed.

"Good morning your majesties. I present to you, Prince Reign Overture and his sister, Princess Shar'ah Petunia Overture." The man pulled a handle and the door opened, revealing a well dressed pair of siblings who quickly left carriage. Star looked them over, noting the pink flowers that absolutely covered Petunia's dress and the deep blue suit with golden tassels Reign wore. She idly realized she was looking him over too much as the carriage pulled away towards the stables.

"Greetings Prince Reign. And welcome to the Butterfly Kingdom. I do hope you'll enjoy your stay between the meetings we will have discussing some terms." Moon curtsied and Reign returned with a bow.

"Of course. Thank you for having me. My sister has come along for the day, but shall be returning this evening. She wished to meet with foreign royals as she is considering taking up her father's post as a foreign affairs leader."

"Of course. I accept this, though I do wish to know why she's really here." Reign smiled as he pat his sister's head, her ears and tail revealing themselves as she nuzzled into his hand.

"She wants to see Star."

"Big brother! I just wanted to see how our kingdoms interact."

"So she says." Reign chuckled lightly as Moon joined in.

"Well, we can certainly entertain you both for the day. Come, let us adjourn to more private quarters." Moon extended a hand forward which Reign accepted, kissing the hand while bowing. Moon retracted her arm and began to walk with Toffee at her side. Star, Jackie and Marco fell in behind them and Petunia and Reign took up the rear. The seven traveled a small ways to a small room in which sat a few chairs and a table. "Welcome to the castle meeting room. Now, please, take a seat across from me." Moon sat down at the far end as Reign sat at the close end, next to him sat a clearly unhappy Marco, and a very excited Petunia. Next to Petunia sat Jackie, across from whom sat Star and Toffee. As the door closed and locked, Reign spoke up first, a clearly upbeat tone to his words.

"Well, I do have some good news and one message to deliver. First, the message. Queen Moon, my mother hopes you liked her gift, and she wishes you a happy birthday. She wanted to do so in person, but with relations as rocky as they are on the political spectrum, we didn't want to create any undo stress."

"Thank you Reign. I do adore the gift." Moon reached into her shirt and pulled out the pendant.

"I know mom will be happy to hear that. Now, for the good news, things are progressing rather smoothly on our end for getting the council to rescind the marriage arrangement. We are making some deals and it's going really well."

"That's good to hear dude. How are you pulling it off?"

"Giving a few concessions in overall policy. Basically the council is getting more time off this coming year. So far nothing else has been agreed on yet."

"Sounds like a win-win." The tone in Marco's voice brought the conversation to a complete standstill. All eyes were trained on the boy as he began to openly glare at Reign.

"It is."

"So what do you get out of it?"

"Nothing."

"Really?" Marco raised an eyebrow as he leaned a little further back in his chair. Star decided she had to intervene, but Moon was faster on the draw.

"Okay, let's just, move on to business. First order of business, is how are we dealing with criminals who have done illegal activities in one country and leave for the other." Reign turned his focus to Moon, and the discussions began. It was, for Star, Marco, Jackie, and Petunia, three very boring hours. That was, until the very end.

"So, these will be our talking points tomorrow to start us. I must say Reign you are a very perceptive young man."

"Indeed he is Moonlight. He has a good future ahead of him."

"Yeah, big brother is amazing. It's why I want Princess Star to dance with him at the Silver Be-" before she could continue, Reign had slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widened as she looked at a sweetly smiling Reign.

"Come now, that's not a discussion for here or now. Remember Petunia. Tact is a very important part of our day to day lives." Petunia seemed to calm down, but as Star and her friends lost focus on that little moment, they realized both Moon and Toffee had gone silent and stock still. Before it could be commented on however, Reign decided to take the situation to another direction. "That being said, Petunia has a small crush on a certain someone, don't you?" Reign smiled wickedly at Petunia as her ears dropped, her eyes clearly giving away her crush's identity. This had the beneficial effect of giving Moon and Toffee time, and a subject, to recover.

"Well now. Little Petunia has a crush on a strapping young knight, hmmm?" Petunia buried her head in her hands as Marco lightly blushed.

"Well, looks like Marco is too busy showing off all his finer points to cute, younger girls!" Star smiled smugly at Marco as his blush disappeared and his eyes widened.

"Hey, I can't help it if my natural good looks attract them!" Star kept up her smile as she turned back towards Reign.

"Well, then let's show her one more finer point. It's lunch time and I think it's time our guests try out your specialty tacos!" Star smiled as everyone murmured an agreement. As they all stood to leave, Star grabbed Marco and sat him down. "We'll be right behind you guys. Just gotta decide on the meat." The group nodded and Toffee lead the way towards the dining area. As soon as the door closed, Star dropped her smile. "Something you wanna tell me Diaz." Marco knew that tone.

"What are you talking about Star?"

"I was playing around, joking about younger girls being attracted to you, but you were serious when you said your good looks attracted them. I'll forgive just about anything if you come clean right now. If I have to find out what's going on myself, well, I don't think I have to spell it out for you." Star leveled him with a stare right into his soul.

"I swear Star. Nothing is going on. I just get hit on a lot. And, I like it. I like feeling attractive to girls who aren't in love with me. You want my honesty? I don't trust it when you tell me I look good. I feel like you're looking through a lens of emotion. And it makes me feel loved, but not handsome." Marco looked down dejectedly, but something was off to Star. The response was too perfect. It was all reasonable, but she joked with him about guys hitting on her back on Earth literally the day she found out about this marriage.

"But when a guy finds me attractive you want to beat their head in. What are you telling me?" Marco froze. "Marco. You're the first guy I've ever wanted to date that was one hundred percent my choice. The first guy I have ever wanted to see every morning for the rest of my life. The only thing I wouldn't give up for you, would be our children. And yes, it would have to be plural. I don't mind girls hitting on you. If I did, I would've kicked Jackie out a long time ago. So Marco, wanna come clean?"

"But, it's the truth." Star stared at Marco long and hard. He didn't budge, but he was clearly nervous.

"Okay. Have it your way. I was ready to give you everything soon, but now, now I'm upset. You're not allowed in my room while I'm asleep anymore." Marco's eyes went wide, and he stood up tall as he went to interject, but Star merely glared at him and he dropped back into his seat. "Until I feel you're being honest with me where it counts again, this is standing. I don't think you even understand how close you were to having me either. I left my room Wednesday with a spare outfit because I prepared myself in case I couldn't control myself and I let you do me. If not for that, the hotel room would probably have charged me clean-up. Now, calm down and join us when you're ready. Oh, and feel free to tell me your secret whenever you want. The sooner, the better." Star stood up and walked out, Marco didn't even budge an inch. Star felt her anger cool, but she could feel it. Something was wrong, and she was going to figure it out soon.

"Well, I must say these 'tacos' really are good!" Reign said looking towards a slightly disheveled Marco. Everyone had wondered what had happened, but no one had the will to ask. Instead, now they were enjoying tacos made by Marco. "You said the meat was 'Asada', right?"

"Uh, yeah. It's a product made from cows, often called steak." Marco's words held almost no bite, much to Reign's surprise.

"Fascinating. Well it is delicious and I hope to continue to partake in the future."

"Yeah Sir Marco. Your tacos are amazing! Can you make them with fish too?" Petunia was on her tip toes looking at Marco with the happiest smile the girl could manage.

"Uh. Yeah. It's a common style too. I believe I have a recipe for it somewhere. I can make them another time for you." Marco managed an awkward smile, but Petunia was too excited thinking about fish tacos to even take notice. Reign meanwhile, had noticed the chilly atmosphere around Star and had done his best not to interact with her too much. Star however, had different plans in mind.

"So Reign, how goes your citizenship law?"

"Huh? Oh, it's going well, though progress is slow as ever. With a few more months at the current pace I feel we'll have a law worthy of putting into place."

"Amazing. It must be difficult to make such a law. Do you happen to have a copy? Perhaps we could go over it and try to iron out a few kinks or strategies involving it?" Reign went quiet for a moment, not used to having a girl outside his family offer to spend time with him. Much less anyone interested in his life's work.

"I do have a copy actually. And sure. We can certainly find some time. Reign smiled as Marco was pulled out of his stupor. Star shot him a look before she continued to look at Reign.

"Excellent. Oh! I have an idea~" Star practically sang as Marco felt his heart sink. "There's what humans call a concert going on this Thursday night. Jackie, Janna, Thomas Lucitor, Marco and myself are going but I don't think Jackie found a date. Wanna come and enjoy some Earth entertainment as a friend?" Reign stumbled for a moment as a smile began to cross his face. Until Jackie abruptly stood up.

"That's this Thursday?" Star was taken aback as she looked at the panic forming on Jackie's face.

"Yes?"

"Marco, portal, now!"

"Uh, to whe-"

"The stadium. Now!" The sheer panic in her voice caused Marco's body to move on instinct as he opened a portal. Jackie leapt through the portal and disappeared. The room remained silent until Jackie came walking back through, her head hanging. "I forgot."

"Oh no. Were they sold out?"

"Yeah. I guess I can't go." The group watched as Jackie struggled to hold back some tears. Toffee and Moon shared a glance as they attempted to come up with a reasonable solution. Oddly, it was Reign who solved the dilemma.

"Well, I hate to be the one to ask, but would a skate park happen to be open while this is concert is going on?" Jackie barely shifted as she thought back to it.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not. I'd much rather go surfing."

"Surfing?"

"You ride a board over waves in the ocean." Petunia cocked her head to the side as a thought hit her.

"Is that like watergliding?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, watergliding is a somewhat popular sport among our family. It sounds the same to say the least." Jackie's head popped up at that. "If you want, I can show you to an awesome beach that has incredible waves all day and all year round. It's even in perpetual twilight so you can surf whenever you want." Reign had a smile on his face as Jackie turned to look towards him.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. It's pretty rad. They also have some competitions so it can be a day of just kicking back and relaxing while the couple's go enjoy their concert. What do you say?"

"Sounds, great actually. I haven't been surfing in a while." Jackie gave Reign a weak, if heartfelt grin. One he returned with a friendly grin of his own.

"Hurray! Surfing time!"

"Sorry Tunia. I know what you're doing on Thursday already."

"Oh poo." Petunia frowned a bit as Reign ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, we can go some other time. Maybe if you do really well on your tests." Petunia peaked out of the corner of her eye at Reign.

"Really?"

"It's a promise."

"Okay then. I'll show you how incredible I can be big brother." Petunia's eyes practically shined as she looked at Reign, a smile crossing his face.

"I'm glad to see everyone getting along so well. And speaking of which, do you know when your mother might be free to talk? I really feel like I need to catch up with her. It's been nearly a decade after all!"

"Yes. She should be done by about four-thirty Mewni Standard Time. I know she'll be happy to hear you called."

"Thank you. Now then, I've gotta go take care of some things to make some time. So please, less arguing everyone. We shouldn't be fighting each other now that we are so close to several goals. Let's try and be, friends, again." Moon gave the room a smile as she got up and along with Toffee, walked out of the room. Star watched on, silently cheering on what she hoped would be a positive relationship for both Jackie and Reign, while Marco began to simply think. He didn't know why, but something didn't sit right with him. Once again Reign seemed to have a solution to a problem the literal moment it came to be. Not to mention surfing wasn't exactly something he saw Reign doing.

"Well then. I will call later today to make sure we can have a spot for us at the beach. I'm sure it won't be a problem, there's a lot of beach space available, but I don't want to test my luck on that."

"Sounds great dude. I honestly can't wait."

"Yeah, great." Marco could barely hide the sarcasm in his voice. Star shot him a glare but he barely responded to it. Instead he focused his attention on Reign, who easily noticed the boy's ire.

"Sir Marco, can we please put aside this intense dislike? I know where you're coming from but at the current rate within two months there will be nothing stopping you and Star from being together out in the open. I'd rather not be on the wrong foot when that time comes. So please, can we let-"

"No. We can't. Not until the issue is dead and buried." Marco stood up and looked at Star. Her glare had magnified several times as Marco looked back calmly. "Come on Star. We should go on-" Star abruptly cut in, looking at Reign with a smile on her face.

"Hey Reign. You were kind enough to give us a tour of your home, so I should give you a tour of mine. What do you say?" Star smiled sweetly as Marco felt his jaw drop.

"Star?"

"Well Reign?" Marco looked horrified at Star before rage overtook him.

"Fuck this. Come on Jackie. I'm not dealing with this shit."

"Dude. Chill. He literally just got you another date night. Why are you acting like this?"

"Great. You are being deceived too. Reign, I don't know what you are up to, but I will figure it out, and I will stop it. Mark my words!" With that, Marco angrily stormed out of the room. Petunia crawled onto Reign's lap, shaking in fear as Reign began to pat her head.

"What is his problem?" Star looked at the door angrily as Jackie put a thought out.

"I, think he's jealous."

"What? Why would he be jealous? He's got me one hundred percent!"

"Well Star. It's not uncommon for boys to become that way. Guys feel, possessive, of girls they like and don't want to share them. This is why a father doesn't want his daughter around various boys."

"But still. He's taking it a bit too far. If I could, I'd marry him now just to solve this."

"That probably wouldn't change a thing. Or it could make it worse. You need to draw a line. Honestly, I think you're doing the right thing. We just need him to not do anything drastic. The last thing we need is to confirm the circulating rumors of an arranged marriage."

"We're that close to it getting out?"

"Yes. So far mom's strategy has worked and the nobility has been keeping quiet. And once the arrangement is dead we can easily placate them with me giving up my claim to the throne, or a few other concessions that honestly will be equally frivolous."

"The throne is frivolous?"

"With how far out I realistically am, yes. It is.

"Okay. Uh. Sounds like you guys have it all worked out."

"Yes. As I said we are just ironing out the details. Speaking of details, how is the book working out for you Star?"

"Oh, well, I only just had the time to figure out how it works. I just have to be alone and ask questions, right?"

"Correct."

"Okay then. I did notice on one of my questions it said the will of the first king redacted some things. What does that mean?"

"Oh, well the book is infused by one of our ancestors with a force of will to protect the Royal family from itself. It's mysterious how it operates, but it was layered on the spell to make the book what it is, making it similar to Glossaryck in a way."

"That's, not all that encouraging. But that also explains a few things."

"Yeah, it's a wonderful, if annoying thing."

"So this book contains your family history?"

"That's correct Jackie."

"Why give it to Star if the plan isn't to marry her?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Mom has a plan, but I don't know what it is. She likes to be mysterious like that."

"Mom's always seem to be that way. But, I guess we can worry about that later. Let's just go and show you Mewni. Okay?"

"Well Petunia. Ready for Star to give us a tour?" The girl in Reign's lap leaped out and began to grab Star's hand.

"Tour! Tour!" The group giggled and got up with Star guiding the little girl, and Jackie walking beside Reign.

"So Tom, you in?"

"Dude. This is madness. You know the cost. You know what will happen. Delving into these things without proper preparation could simply cause pandemonium. And trust me, it's not easy."

"But Tom. This guy has to be up to something and we can reveal it to everyone. We both have seen the girls begin to act weird and I bet it's the same with your parents too."

"Actually no. They're pretty much the same. The only difference is now we are trading with another nation to get some spice wood."

"Oh, that stuff is good, but Reign is the concern here. I'm sure he plans to force Star's hand soon."

"Dude, chill. We can figure out what's going on before it gets bad. Just give me time to prep so that it won't backfire. It'll take about a month."

"That's a long time, but right now we have it. What about plan 'd'?" Tom's eyes widened considerably.

"I think you're insane."

"Tom, please. You know what might have to be done. This is Star we're talking about here. I don't want him to hurt her."

"... Okay. I'm in. Just, keep it under control. The last thing you need to be doing is pushing Star away like you are. So long as it looks positive to her, unless you have proof, you're going to have to go along with it. Just like the concert. You got that? You gotta play it cool. And since they might figure out we talked, just say you called for advice and I talked you down. Got it?"

"Got it. And Tom. Thanks."

"No problem bro. Now I'll start the prep. See ya."

"See ya Tom." The image on Marco's portable mirror phone went out, leaving Marco in total darkness. "Soon, I'll expose you Reign. I will protect Star, no matter what."

"And, that's really it."

"Huh. I always expected the main hub of Mewni to be, grander. Though I will say your Knight of the Wash seems immensely dependable."

"Yeah he is, and we're working on improving Mewni now that more mewmans are willing to work with monsters. Especially after Mina's big attack we have room to improve and enlarge. It's gonna be awesome when it's done. Heck, we're gonna model it off of Echo Creek in a few ways. Speaking of which. I know it's not really part of the tour, but I don't really want to go back to the castle just yet. You guys wanna hit up Earth?" Reign and Petunia looked back at Star in wide-eyed wonder. "I guess so. Oh shoot. I forgot I don't have scissors without Marco around." In a flash Star felt her hand get pulled and something metallic put in her palm. Looking down, Reign had grabbed her hand and put a pair of blue and red scissors into her hand.

"Wait, when did you get your trial?"

"I got my trial about seven months ago."

"Huh. Back when we were still convincing Heinous to be our ally. So you passed your trial and got your scissors. Good for us! Now come on. Let's show you a good time." Star clipped open a portal and waved. Her three guests through. In seconds all four were standing in front of a strange two story house with a castle spire sticking out the side of it.

"Marco's place Star?"

"What can I say? I know the town mostly from this point. Now for the first stop, let me show you the educational facilities!" Star began to skip down the road as Reign and Petunia followed a bit behind, looking at all the strange sights.

"What's that?"

"Light pole. At night it emits light so people can see where they are walking."

"How do they light them?"

"It's automatic. A wonder of Earth technology you don't even see in Mewni." Jackie smiled as Petunia began asking a flurry of questions.

"What's that thing spraying water everywhere, does the government know people are wasting so much water? Oh! What about these poles with wires running between them? And what about those horseless carriages? And, and, what's that way up in the sky?" A near endless flood of questions came from the girl as Jackie did her best to answer each question. Star looked back and noticed Reign's expression. It had been filled with wonder, but as Star looked this time, she noted it filled with quiet contemplation. She looked to Jackie who, seeing Star's eye signals, started to slow down a bit, giving Star and Reign a little space.

"What's wrong Reign?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just observing Earth and it's different structures."

"Reign, I've had enough lies today. Please, what's going on?" Star looked into Reign's eyes as he tried to avoid hers. Finally, he sighed and looked over to a spot out of the corner of his eyes, a movement that got Star to do the same. She saw an alleyway, and a disheveled individual searching through a trash bin for food, finding a half-eaten hotdog to devour.

"I see the same symptoms of the problems we face. And it terrifies me."

"Symptoms?"

"I've heard stories Star. Stories that Earth is one of the most accepting dimensions out there. But look. There's a guy who can't even afford to eat without going for the scraps of others."

"Marco says overall, this world produces more food than is necessary. But people have to contribute to society to get anything."

"Star, that's an old man. Easily late sixties. Even if he has skills, no one wants such an old worker. They'll either die or retire. But more than that, this level of discrimination is based on the usefulness, or luck, of the individual. I'd hoped to see a utopia where everyone is cared for to a baseline, and then rewarded with better food or luxuries depending on effort spent in a job, and throughout one's life. But, I don't see that here. Honestly, I'm just worried." Star quickly saw past the use of Earth's residents to a more familiar situation. The same one she's fought for years herself.

"It's okay. They accepted me pretty easily. I'm sure-"

"To accept one oddity is easy. To accept many is to accept change. And people hate change." Star nearly stopped walking as the words hit her. He wasn't wrong. When her guards had come to the school to defend against the False Solarian Warriors, the people of Echo Creek nearly gave her up to them just to be rid of the monsters. They had rallied behind her before and after, but the idea of creatures like monsters being the allies of humans and mewmans alike was simply, abhoring to some. She was surprised when the Wong's stood up for her and the monsters, but now it made more sense.

"They're afraid."

"Yeah. The two easiest ways to manipulate people are fear and love. Fear is the best for selfish people as it ends when you die. While people who love you will fight all of their fears for you long after you're gone. It's a lesson that's played out in history numerous times before. It's why I've done everything I can to get my people to love me. I can make a change then. But if even a prosperous, intellectual world like Earth can fall to discrimination of it's own people, when the differences are so much smaller, what hope do I really have?"

"... It's called a leap of faith. A move done with no guarantee of the outcome, but with faith that it will. You can never be certain, right until you die. But it's there. We just need to push forward, and pull everyone along with our selfish desires. Right?" Reign looked at Star's honest and confident grin. He stared for a moment and Star could swear she could see sparks flying inside his eyes before they closed, a massive, goofy grin plastering on his face.

"Guess if you're going to say that, I've got no choice but to believe in the dream." Star felt odd. Something about this felt so, familiar. A light ringing in the back of her head distracted her for a moment before she shook it free, the feeling of familiarity stuck though. "You okay?" Star looked over to Reign and smiled.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Cause you were standing still and silent for a long time."

"Yeah, like, four minutes of standing in front of the school holding your head." Star abruptly looked around and noticed they were indeed in front of the school.

"Whoa. Okay, I see why you guys were concerned. But I'm fine. Really." She gave them all an encouraging smile as a somewhat shrill voice blared out.

"Hey! Who are you and wh- Star? What are you doing back at Echo Creek?" The group turned to see a somewhat rotund man in a casual business suit standing in front of them.

"He principal Skinner. I'm giving Mewni's newest allies a small tour of Earth."

"Oh. And uh, they aren't becoming students. Right?"

"Well, unless my mother insists my little sister here get a better education, no." The man sighed in relief as Reign raised an eyebrow.

"No offense. Star here livened things up a bit too much when she was a student here. It seemed like almost every week I had some reason to pull her into my office. Some her fault some not. If you want to show them around a bit you may, but please try and be inconspicuous. Classes are going on and I'd prefer no disruptions."

"Can do Principal Skinner." The man nodded and walked on past the group. He was clearly mumbling to himself but no one could hear precisely what.

"Okay then. So, let me show you around real quick then we can move onto a, museum, and then we can stop for lunch." Reign and Petunia had a fascinating time following Star. Learning about 'light switches' and 'water fountains' and even 'television'. Reign and Petunia were in awe at the start, and overwhelmed by the end. And that was just the school. After a brisk walk they ended up at a large building with massive pictures of the sky and the world.

"And this is a museum of science?"

"Yeah dude. It's a monument of some of Earth's greatest achievements. It must be noted that this is a small one compared to others, but it's pretty awesome."

"It's not anything like the paperclip museum, is it?" Star asked, a little saddened by the turn of events.

"Well unlike that museum, this one is actually fun to even me. It's cool to see how things work and what we've achieved. So come on. Let me show you Earth's real smart side." The group entered the museum, and immediately were greeted with a massive skeleton. It's razor sharp teeth and dominating figure stood tall above them.

"What kind of creature was that?"

"A t-rex, or Tyrannosaurus Rex. It's name means tyrant king and it's one of the largest land predators to have ever existed. It went extinct over sixty-five million years ago at the end of the dinosaurs. And dinosaurs were the dominant species, a luke-warm blooded reptilian group of creatures that, while never gaining anything like human technology, were dominant for over one hundred million years." Jackie looked confidant as Star, Reign, and Petunia all stared in wonder.

"How do you guys know all that?"

"Well, we dug around, found their skeletons, analyzed their bone structures, figured out how far down in the rock is what era of Earth's history, figured out where mysterious elements from that same ground came from and just sort of extrapolated from there. It's hard to get it exact as we are so far removed, but details have slowly helped us establish probable facts. That's an example of the science of archaeology."

"So, if things had gone differently, there might have been a septarian style race here?"

"Maybe Star. Sort of surprised Marco never brought you here considering your want for knowledge. But Earth has had many events we call mass extinctions. The last one was about sixty-five million years ago. A series of events including a large meteor impact and a massive volcanic eruption devastated the climate causing most life on Earth to perish. The worst one was the first, a massive event that nearly erased all life. But that was billions of years ago. It's always been a big debate on what life would have been like if they had never happened. But we wouldn't be here if they hadn't."

"That's, both cool and inspiring actually. But, where do you go from that kind of a discovery?"

"To the origin of meteors. Space!" Jackie then motioned for the group to follow as she headed towards a side where a sign simply read 'space'. "Space is what we've called the final frontier. It's starting point is quite high up and extends potentially infinitely. The story of humans and space actually starts with flight. Until relatively recently, flight was thought possible only by birds. Then two men who built bicycles put together the first plane. It flew less than one hundred feet, but the moment would go down in history. In just a few years, flight started to become commonplace as a fast way to travel long distances.

We began to go faster and faster as well, and about seventy years ago we started to heavily invest into going into space. At first we used rudimentary rockets to force out way up, but this merely taught us the physics. We began to evolve the rockets and while we were still forcing our way up, we were beginning to make progress. Our nation wasn't the first into space though. That goes to Russia. They had the first animal and human in space. Completed the first orbit in space, had the first artificial satellite, and had the first person to leave the craft during such a journey.

Our country was in a sort of arms race with them and we wanted to catch up, badly. So we decided to go to the moon. It took nearly a decade from the initial announcement, but we did it. We put a man on the moon. It taught us so much, not just about going to other worlds, but about our planet's history. It's honestly really fascinating and I'd probably study down this path if not for my current commitments." The group stared in slack-jawed wonder at Jackie as they had gone through the space wing. Each object, each picture, and each model had shown them the creativity and ingenuity of brilliance no one could possibly have imagined.

"This is amazing. Humans are immensely intelligent."

"Well, not to float our boat, but it's how we survived."

"That's so cool Jackie!" Petunia was now clinging onto Jackie's shirt, her eyes shinning with curiosity. "Could we go to our moons?"

"Probably. I'm no rocket scientist or physicist so I can't say for sure." The girl squee in excitement as Reign looked around. The room was filled with strange devices and suits, he couldn't believe that this stuff got people into such a supposedly dangerous environment without harm.

"I really wonder why Marco never really showed this off?"

"Probably thought it wasn't up your alley. Besides, you guys sound like you had fun adventures all the time."

"True. True. And, uh, Petunia is walking into the human body exhibit." Jackie and Reign looked where Star was pointing and noticed Petunia walking by herself into a section designated 'Mysteries of the Human Body'. Reign immediately dashed forward.

"Tuni!" The girl in question had barely managed to get inside and was studying a skeletal model when Reign caught up to her, Jackie and Star not too far behind. "Don't walk off like that! You might get lost."

"Sorry brother. I was just curious."

"Is everything alright little girl?" The pair looked over to see a tall, muscular man in a white shirt and black pants. He had a cap that read 'security' on it and a gold badge on his left shirt pocket.

"She's fine sir. Tha-"

"Sir, I did not ask you. Please step away from the child."

"I'm her brother."

"Sir, that's a bold lie. Now step away or I'll have to get violent to protect the child."

"Brother, I'm scared." Petunia moved towards Reign as she began to shake. The man began to openly glare at Reign.

"That's it." He reached down and pulled a handle on his belt, a knife slowly being retrieved. "This could have been easy."

"Come now Guard Rel. Do you really want to do this?" The man stopped cold as he looked shocked at Reign. "You're in a uniform that won't protect you, in front of the princess of Mewni and an Earth diplomat. Surely you don't want to make so many enemies today?" Reign stared on coldly as the man weighed his options before putting the knife fully back in it's holster, a nearby crowd forming as time passed achingly slow. When he realized only the two in front of him could see the blade he decided to back out, pulling his body back and giving a guarded look.

"Well as long as nothing is wrong I hope you two have a nice day." Star and Jackie watched the man leave as Petunia was shaking in Reigns hold. He was whispering how things were okay now and a few bystanders were whispering to each other. When Jackie noted a few phones come out, she knew what she had to do.

"You two okay?" Reign shot Jackie a look that simply said, 'No'.

"Yeah. Just scared Tuni a bit when I shouted. She'll be like this for a moment, so, we'd probably be better off finding a place to eat."

"Yeah. I know a nice pizza place nearby. We can go there before we take you home, right Star?" Jackie looked over to see star was casting some magic. Judging from the various people moving away with phones in hand, she figured Star must have picked up on the situation and was using magic to lessen the situation.

"Yeah. I'm sure your parents will want to talk to you about being a bit more contained in public." Star gave a cheerful smile that seemed to disarm a few of the onlookers, a few more putting away their phones and walking away.

"Well, come on Tuni. Let's go get something to eat. Okay?" Reign put on his best cheerful smile as Petunia, tears in her eyes looked up.

"Carry me?" The girl sounded destroyed and the rest of the people still trying to use their phones began to put them down. Reign gave Petunia a warm smile and shifted himself to be in front of her. She immediately latched on with all four limbs and her tail, a few aws coming from the small audience.

"Okay Jackie, lead the way." Reign could barely hide the near command in his throat, and Jackie immediately began to lead the group out of the museum. She counted their blessings as they got a fair distance away and, after turning a corner, she presented her hand to Reign. In a heartbeat she had scissors and a portal was cut. They walked on through, never knowing that just moments later, a police crew would show up to investigate a young girl supposedly forced to wear bdsm gear in public and forcibly taken away by a young man.

"Okay. You're okay." Petunia was in Star's lap, barely holding back tears as Reign talked outside on his mirror phone, to who she had no idea. Jackie had been a calming influence the entire time until she ordered them some food. Star and Jackie still had no idea what had happened in the moments they were separated from Reign, but they knew something bad had occurred. All three turned towards the door as Reign walked in, scissors in hand.

"Okay. Talked to dad. We can have lunch here but after that I am taking Tuni straight home."

"Okay, but what happened?"

"Well, odds are we were almost attacked." Star and Jackie looked at Reign in shock. "I'm not sure how but that 'security' person was a man called 'Guard Rel'. He was once a respected guard who was good at his tasks until he began to call for the ascension of Uncle Lor to the throne. He's really far down the list so you have to get Tuni off the list to actually get him there. But that man is most famous for an incident where he protected a half-monster girl from a band of thieves, only to nearly kill her himself when she tried to thank him." Jackie and Star were speechless, Star now hugging Petunia so hard the little girl was beginning to feel crushed.

"What the hell."

"Yeah. He is among the worst criminal we've had in the past few centuries, even though he was almost taken down a few years ago. No one ever knew he had a deep hatred of mixed race people. After the incident went public many more stories emerged and he was on track for execution. Rel managed to escape and I guess he came here."

"We have to warn the public!"

"No. At least not yet. I did have to specify mixed race for a reason. He might be scum, but he didn't hate anyone else. He isn't a threat to humans. Just part-monsters. We are sending a team tonight to take care of him and we have someone already tailing him, so don't worry. In the morning I should be able to report his capture, or death."

"Jeez. You just don't get a rest do you?"

"No one ever does in our family. It may look quiet and peaceful, but if not for people like me, Petunia would be long dead." Jackie and Star simply let those words sink in. This precious little girl had almost been killed. But thinking more on it, something didn't add up.

"Why do people want her dead? Is it because she's part monster?"

"For the most part no. They want Aria to take the throne. They believe her easily controlled. They would be wrong, but they don't know that. But thankfully, attempts on Tuni are rare."

"Okay, but she's like, nine!"

"Yeah. But it doesn't matter. She's an heir who isn't last. And it's why I'm constantly surprised that we fit well into society. It's a messed up existence. But right now everyone is getting settled. Aria is transitioning to a council position, Mom is planning out her last few years as acting queen, Torro is getting serious about his relationship, while Petunia is too young still, but she genuinely has little chance to take the throne."

"Okay, I realize it's pointless to ask about you, but I remember your mother saying Torro rejected Dutchess Reya's daughter. Why are they together?" Reign looked at Star and smiled slightly as he took a seat next to Jackie.

"Glad you're learning and listening. Mother said such a thing because we needed to insure Torro had a bad showing the day you came. It would make more sense if he bowed out due to a shameful display than if he simply said he didn't want to. Sadly, this also meant that he was to make a fool of himself, but he did agree to do it. Though I was supposed to be a part of it. Now it's my turn to ask a question." Reign smiled as Star waved him on, Jackie realizing this was a part of the game Star told them he started. "What's your hobby?"

"Oh, easy enough. It's going on adventures! Exploring the multiverse with my best friends and enjoying what each world has to offer. It's wonderful. Especially with my close friends. Honestly. It's what I'll miss most when I become queen."

"Well, adventures just change shapes as we grow older. I'm sure you'll still get away with plenty. Especially with Jackie and Marco around. I'd include Janna, but I hear she and Thomas Lucitor have been getting very comfortable with one another."

"Yeah. They're crazy. But it's still mostly Marco and me causing all the chaos. Jackie does her best to wrangle us, but it's hard to stop a good pair."

"Okay then. Jackie, Petunia, you two want in on the game today?" Petunia smiled deeply as she nearly leapt to her feet, surprising Star as her attitude improved drastically.

"Do I!" Jackie giggled as she responded.

"Sure. And since you asked Star, that makes it my turn?"

"Yes, and I'll be kind and not count that one against you." Reign winked and Star giggled a little as Jackie started to take on her serious look.

"Who is the hottest woman you've ever seen?" Star almost did a double take as the question seemed to be out of left field.

"Dutchess Reya." Star felt her jaw drop as Jackie's eyes went wide. Neither had expected him to answer that way. Upon seeing this Reign pulled back out his mirror phone and scrolled around to a picture of two red haired women. One was a tall woman, thin but with very defined assets that seemed a bit too big for her build. The other one-

"What is with those curves!"

"Is she even real?" The shorter woman had short, straight red hair and light-green eyes. Her body was more full, but still thin. Her entire body just seemed to be poured into the dress she was wearing. Neither of the girls could take their eyes off of her until Reign pulled away his phone.

"And that is why Torro had to come up with a shitty excuse like her voice to get the point across. With a mother like that the daughter is probably going to start looking the same way. And for the record, the Dutchess was disrobed accidently at the event I have that picture from. She doesn't wear a bra, and she doesn't need one." Both girls fell back into their seats. A silent agreement to never bring up the woman's looks again pervading the room. "Now Tuni-"

"Star! You and Marco met when you were sent to Earth, but how did you and Jackie meet?" Star shook herself free of the image of the Dutchess and looked at Petunia.

"Oh, well, we went to the same school and I found out Marco had a long time crush on Jackie. I decided to become their bridge and introduced myself to introduce him."

"It was a crazy first real meeting being that everyone knew who Star was, but to have her invite you to a dimension where everything is candy, how was a girl to refuse. I joined her and Marco and despite her best efforts, the three of us got stuck together."

"Literally. Fell into some taffy and spent hours slowly eating our way out. Was a good bonding experience and during a sleepover I planned I got Marco to confess."

"After a bit of dating I realized Marco had a certain girl on the brain so I let him go to either find the girl he liked, or to let her go and come back to me. I inadvertently joined on his quest and got stuck in Mewni during the rebellion." Reign perked up, am inquisitive look upon his face.

"Rebellion?"

"You, didn't know?"

"We heard there was a massive storm that heavily damaged Mewni and it was why the dimension was sealed off for so long. We never heard of a rebellion."

"Oh. Well rats. But basically we had a small faction from the war still causing trouble and they finally enacted a plan to take out my family and destroy magic to try and kill monsters. It failed when I gained my Butterfly Form and restored magic for the first time. Marco confessed to me, but at the time I had already started dating Tom again. Instead we talked it out and he would spend time with me to try and get over me as I deepened my relationship with Tom."

"During this time Marco and I hung out and eventually we became a group of four friends. If was during all of that that we can truly say we became friends." The two girls looked happily at one another as a voice rang out from the counter.

"Order up! Jackie, two pies!"

"Oh, that's ours." Reign got up to allow Jackie out and then followed her to help carry the pizza back to the table. "One pizza is a meat lovers, the other is anchovies, a type of fish." The two sat down as Star grabbed two slices of the meatlovers for herself, then helping Petunia out with a slice of anchovie pizza. Reign took a slice of each as did Jackie. "Becareful, it's hot!" Jackie took a bit of the anchovie slice and moaned a bit as she ate. Star was already halfway through her slice as Petunia and Reign reached for their utensils. Each took a proper posture and began to cut into their slices. Reign starting with the anchovie.

"You can eat with your hands dude."

"I see that. Just a public eating habit." Reign smiled as he took a bite. He was surprised at the salty taste and strange texture. He was by no means a fan of this, but he wouldn't complain about it. Petunia however took her first bite, dropped her utensils, and had voraciously forced the slice into her mouth after she swallowed the first bite. She was ravenous as she grabbed another hot slice and began to eat it as we'll, her eyes contracting into feline slits.

"Calm down Tuni. No one's going to-" Petunia growled a bit as Reign moved a hand towards her, causing him to pull back by reflex as she continued to eat. Star took note of the hurt Reign had as he began to cut his other slice. She could see the piece had it all. Pepperoni, bacon, sausage, and ham. She was thankful Jackie ordered the larges, but that expression Reign wore actually managed to curb her own appetite just enough to not follow Petunia's example. Reign seemed to eventually hide behind his mask of happiness as he finished his slices, just in time for Petunia to finish her third slice, her hand rubbing her belly.

"I'm full now and ready to go all-*yawn*-day!" Petunia clearly looked tired as Reign got up and walked over to her side. Without much time Petunia fell asleep, her head resting on Star's shoulder.

"You knew this was going to happen. Didn't you?"

"Yeah. It's why she's going home now. If I took her first she'd be upset, but now she'll be understanding from the beginning. Now I'll be right back." Reign took out his scissors before reaching over and picking up Petunia, the girl curling up in his arms on instinct. He nodded to the two remaining girls as he walked through the portal, the thing closing behind him.

"Well, that's kind of sweet."

"Have to agree. I wish I had an older brother like that."

"Yeah. Makes me jealous of Maripossa. She's gonna have an excellent big brother."

"That she will. But did you see how Reign was when Petunia growled at him?"

"Yeah. I think he has a soft spot for her, so that really hurt him. I'm sorry I suspected him of being horrible."

"Yeah. Also, you want the rest of this orâ?"

"Go ahead girl." Star smiled as she let loose, quickly piling the rest of the pizzas into her mouth and devouring them in about a minute. "It still amazes me how your metabolism handles all that. I'd have to work out like a dog for a week to get that under control."

"Oh come on Jackie. It's not that great. If I don't eat that much I feel horrible and cold."

"Guess all gifts have a bad thing to them, huh?" Star was about to respond when a thought crept up from the back of her head. But before she could vocalize it she heard a portal open up behind her.

"Okay, Petunia is in good hands. So, what shall we do now?"

"Well, I-"

"Sorry Reign. That's about it for the day. I don't want to be around if that maniac were to try and take his revenge."

"Fair enough. So you wanna head back to the castle?"

"Yes please." Jackie looked puzzled at Star who seemed to be putting on her best fake smile.

"Okay then." Reign deftly cut through the air and the trio soon found themselves at the castle gate. Star quickly excused herself and ran ahead, leaving Jackie and Reign alone.

"Huh. That was a quick end to the day. Well, I'll go get my room set up. You have a wonderful day Jackie." Reign bowed and moved into the castle, Jackie suddenly feeling very confused as both of them seemed in a hurry to escape the situation. Reign she understood, but not Star. She took a deep breath and thought back to her schedule. It was Sunday so that left three full days before the concert. She just had to make it to then. She also had some classes on Mewni as part of her future duties, so she hoped the days would fly on by. She was really looking forward to surfing again.

Star crashed into her room, her magic closing and locking the door behind her. She checked around and saw no one about. Her nose told her no one had entered since the morning, and she finally relaxed slightly, only to tense when she saw the book. Carefully she approached it and with great care she opened it. She looked down at the pages and asked a single question.

"Why did they give me the book?" Words began to appear before her, her eyes glued to the page.

_'To this question I shant lie. Twas for Reign's sake you were handed I. A boy of sorrow and grief he may be, but he has hopes of kindling a friendship with thee. It was decided, for the sake of all involved that you know the truth. Even should the family be silenced by Reign, the book cannot be totally silenced by him.'_ Star gulped as she asked her next question.

"What do you mean, 'silenced'?"

_'Tiss not a worrying thing, for he only wishes to protect thee. Truths harsh or harmful are dulled or hidden, more for ye than he.'_

"Can you lie to me?"

_'Nay. I must be truthful. If I am unable to speak of something thou shalt know the reason why.'_ Star looked at the book and sighed. At least she wouldn't be mislead. Or, so she hoped.

"... Why does Reign not want anyone to tell me about that night we first met?"

_'For he feels it would cause your feelings about him to become false. He feels it would make you indebted to him. He wants your feelings to be genuine. Especially if those feelings become love.'_

Star closed the book and held it close to her. She had to know more about him. She just had to. Who was Reign really, and what was his story? She pondered this for a bit before she sat up and opened the book again. She would have her answers. Or at least, what answers she could have.

"Tell me about Reign." Star looked closely at the book, as words began to appear. She took a deep breath and began to read.


	6. Monstar Truths I

_'Reign Curwald Overture was born on the fifth night of the seventh lunar cycle in the 1,326th year of the kingdom. Son of Queen Babsibaraie Stella Overture and *Redacted by the family*. He was preceded by his eldest brother Prince Gorbin Gorpa Overture, his eldest sister Princess Aria Tella Overture, his second brother Torro Hartel Overture, and his twin sister Princess Bella Tempest Overture. He was born silent during a lunar eclipse, each being a sign of great change.__His youngest years were relatively uneventful, consisting of a few ploys to kill him, but ultimately few attempts. At the age of five his mother, Queen Babsibaraie Mellow Overture married Kor'teh Bara'do, giving him a legal father. Later that same year Queen Babsibaraie would experience a miscarriage, which would be blamed on Reign, a trend that would begin to happen for many events in the Royal family. Duke Lor would come to his aid this time to prove his innocence. Later that same year, the first known major assassination attempt was made on his life by a still unknown assailant. His assigned maid, a fifteen year old girl named Sasha, was slain in the process. This devastated the prince and his twin as they saw Sasha as another sister.__Then, at the age of seven, Reign lost his twin sister to a successful assassination attempt, but managed to live himself thanks to Ampha Rey'la, former caretaker of royal children. The two developed a strong bond that heavily influenced him. During his time with Ampha, his younger sister, Shar'ah Petunia Overture was born. *Redacted by Reign*. *Redacted by Reign*. *Redacted by Reign*. Gorbin found himself ill and was unable to attend the Silverlight Ball, and so Reign was invited in his stead. *Redacted by Reign*. *Redacted by Reign*.'_

Star stared at the page, the words 'Silverlight Ball' echoing in her head. The more she looked the more it seemed to be said in her mind. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain as images began to appear in her head. Flash after flash played before her until finally, a scene played out in her head.

She was beside her mother, and they were both dressed elegantly. She remembered the outfit, it was one she had lost a long time ago. She was looking at a younger Babs and beside her was a small boy holding a blanket. As the blanket stirred a little face with two furry ears popped out yawning.

The little one's hands reached out for the boy, but he didn't respond. He simply stared on in awe at Star. Moments of silence passed before he made his move, a small bow during which the little one looked at Star quizzically. As the boy returned to his stance, Star returned the favor with a curtsie. A moment later and the boy spoke.

"It's a pleasure to, to meet you. Princess Butterfly." The nervous tone combined with his bashful stare elicited a blush from Star, slowly culminating in her own response.

"And, you as well, Third Prince Overture."

"P-p-please. C-c-call m-me Reign." The young Reign fought hard to contain his smile as he began to blush. Seeing this made Star blush even harder. It was a clear crush from the start.

"Th-then please. C-call me Star." The adults, who seemingly had held their breaths began to sigh in relief. Moon bent down with a smile as she looked to Star.

"Why don't you and your new friend get acquainted?" She winked and Star smiled as she reached out her clawed hand. She waited for a moment as doubt began to enter her heart. But as she was about to pull back, the boy shifted the bundled girl to hold her with one hand, using the other to grab hers. Star smiled as the three of them disappeared from the crowd and went towards a glass door towards a grassy area.

Star was shaking in a cold sweat as she fell to the floor. Her stomach was in knots and she felt every need to vomit. The memory played out again and again in her head. Bits and pieces from before it adding to the story. She had met Reign and Babs before this arrangement, Moon was so excited to introduce them and was so happy he hadn't rejected her, and Babs was very happy her child was friends with her best friend's child. It was magical for the small moment. A moment Star somehow forgot. She felt tears well up as the memory solidified in her mind. Getting up, she wiped away the tears, and sat back down. It took a moment, but eventually the feelings subsided. A small part of her worried this was a trick, but the rest of her knew, this memory came from within. It was hers. She took a few deep breaths, she wanted to know more and to do that, she had to keep reading. Grabbing the book again she held it aloft and was shocked.

'_At the age of seven Reign lost his sister to a successful assassination attempt, but managed to live himself thanks to Ampha Rey'la, former caretaker of royal children. The two developed a strong bond that heavily influenced him. *Redacted by Reign*. *Redacted by Reign*. *Redacted by Reign*. Gorbin found himself ill and was unable to attend the Silverlight Ball, and so Reign was invited in his stead. There he met Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni. He was immediately smitten with the girl as the two were allowed to play together by their mothers.'_

Star stared on in disbelief. Then it hit her. The book couldn't lie, it couldn't say events she knew happened didn't exist, or hide what she knew, even by another's orders. So knowing the truth allowed her to see it in the book. She smiled as she looked at the next paragraph, and felt her heart shatter when the entire thing was redacted, both by Reign and the 'Will of the First King'. She tried to think further on that night but nothing came to her. Disheartened, she decided to continue with the next paragraph.

_'Reign began to study law, as all royal children must, and became attached to laws regarding those with monster ancestry. He realized the plight of monster kind within the kingdom and set out to help end the discrimination based on poorly worded or thought out laws within the country. Around this time a suitor came forward from the Harshwalds, a high nobility family boasting the second longest affiliation with the kingdom. They attempted to put their daughter into a relationship with Reign, but due to his condition, they were asked to wait awhile until he was in better shape to accommodate a potential bride. They agreed.__Four months later Reign met Lady Astaroth Harshwald, heir apparent to the Harshwald family line, aged thirteen. The meeting went amicably, and the two began a slow courtship as Reign was prepared to enter the political scene in his first official capacity. He was designated head of animal care, a standard to teach responsibility, and began to sit in on meetings regarding monster laws. This left little time for the boy to be with his suitor, but the Harshwalds, including Lady Astaroth, were understanding. This raised a suspicion in Reign and he began to investigate their intent in his leisure time, and began training with Ampha to defend himself.__Three months later and Reign experienced another assassination attempt. He was in the garden when a man, conspiring with at the time unknown agents, successfully approached him and attempted to kill him. Thanks to training with Ampha, a fact known by none in the castle, he was able to turn the tides and wound the assassin. The assassin was apprehended the next day seeking aid from a doctor who reported him. It was revealed that the assassin was hired by a minor noble family to better push their agendas. The family was later exiled for crimes against the kingdom, and their kin removed from positions of power.__Five months later, Lady Astaroth began to conspire against Reign to push her family agenda. They profited off of products made through the reduced pay of monsters, and Reign began to push for more equality, forcing their prices up. Over the next six months she attempted to kill him several times while also trying to get intimate with him for the sake of raising her own status. This culminated in an attempt at seduction wherein a hired assassin was to break in an do away with Reign after Astaroth had obtained proof of the commitment. When Reign foiled the plan by not responding to her advances she feigned taking great offense and attempted to push him off a balcony. He dodged but she had over committed, sending her off the balcony and onto a passing patrolman's spear. It was later confirmed she was in a rush as she was carrying another noble boy's child within her already.'_

Star cringed at her own memories of similar events. How many boys wanted to sleep with her just so they could ensure they would be king. She began to notice as well that like her, Reign had a nearly impossibly hard life. He probably knew better than anyone else how cruel people could be, and Star kept wondering what caused him to be such a target, or of this were common to all the Overture children. Perhaps she would then better understand what was really going on. Looking back, she continued to read.

_'Reign was hardly affected by it, purportedly he had already learned of her plans shortly before Lady Astaroth perished. This led to a near revolt by the Harshwald's until the Royal family stated their intent to punish the noble boy who had fathered the child. The Harshwald's went eerily silent afterwords, and rumors still spread that the child's father may have been one of her relatives, most notably her brother with whom she was incredibly close.'_

Star retched and nearly lost it at the thought. Immediately the image of her and her own father had entered her head and she barely managed to suppress it. After a moment she looked back, the words had changed.

_'... The Harshwald's went eerily silent afterwords, and rumors still spread that the child's parent may have been *Redacted by Star*.'_

Star breathed in relief as she didn't have to read that line again, but now knew that her own will could hide details in the book. At least from herself.

_'Reign was originally suspected of having been the father, but no real evidence was ever entered into court records, leading to the dismissal of the charges. Four months later Lady Herja Benter attempted to court him, but ceased after only two months, stating he was unable to give her the time she deserved. The next week Lady Helle Korp attempted to court him but after three months she gave up for another nobleman. Three months later Lady Quail Qual attempted to court him, but citing a difference of opinion gave him up after four days. Finally, Lady Natalia Greenwald attempted to court him, but after four months she died ingesting poison meant for Reign at a small party for her.__Of all the suitors, only Lady Natalia was ever accepted by Reign himself from the onset. It was believed Reign may have preferred a different type of suitor until that point, and afterwards he tended to avoid courtship. His mother offered him an out, stating he merely had to give up his chance of succession and odds were the assassinations would nearly cease, leaving him free to find love without worry about accidental death.__Reign denied this, stating he would be placing his younger sister under greater threat, lose his power in the council, and none of the suitors thus far would have even given him a chance if not for his status. His mother acquiesced and gave him her full support on his magnum opus, the Monster Citizenship Act. A document still in the works to this day granting monster-kind protection by the law to the same degree as any mewman.__This law was passed in a basic format two years later to raise the living standards of all people with monster blood and it is still in effect today. Three weeks later, on Reign's twelfth birthday, disaster would strike. Most of the Royal family went to a ball in the nation of Fordolt. This left Prince Torro, Prince Reign, and Princess Shar'ah alone in the palace. Torro then attempted to assassinate Reign using sword practice as his cover.'_

Star blinked, rereading the passage several times as she processed the words. Torro attempted to assassinate Reign. The image flashed through her head and she couldn't see it happening. She honestly couldn't. Then she noticed something, the book didn't mention many attempts against his life. She shelved the question for when she was done reading and continued.

_'Torro failed to kill Reign and Reign failed to report the attempt to anyone. *Redacted by Torro*. *Redacted by Torro*. This lead to Reign receiving the title of 'Commander of the Royal Guard'. Outcry was great, nearly leading to outright rebellion until a massive quake lead to near disaster in the nearby towns. Reign effectively moved the guards and ensured public safety during the crisis. The risk of rebellion faded away, however assassination attempts became more numerous.__Several months later Reign discovered the 'Garden of the First King'. *Redacted by the Will of the First King*. *Redacted by the Will of the First King*.__*Redacted by the Will of the First King*.__*Redacted by the Will of the First King*.__He then proceeded to triple his efforts in creating his new law. An effort that earned him the ire of multiple noble families, including the Garstoles, a prominent family known for their contributions to the army. The assassination attempt rate would reach an all-time high of one every three days. This only includes known attempts regardless of if anyone knows the perpetrators or conspirators behind them.__After two years the attempt rate dropped and Reign began to make headway in the council on his law. However there were also growing attempts from outside influencers on the Royal line of succession. Most notably a public attempt by a group calling themselves 'The Light of Dawn' attempted to kill Gorbin's wife, Princess Desir. The attempt was foiled by Reign and a few guardsmen. This lead to a marked decrease to known assassination attempts to once a month, though conspirators were often caught before their attempts passed the planning stage, which occured roughly once a week. This would continue until current times.__After a comparatively quiet two years the council began to stir at the news of Star Butterfly's exploits in the world, including meeting her Earth Guide, Marco Ubaldo Diaz. Several amongst the council were knowledgeable about the deal struck between the former friends, Moon Butterfly and Babsibaraie, and began to try and argue the point of forcing Moon to pay her end of the bargain.__This lead to actions by Reign and Babs to quell the options, but it ended in failure when Etheria Butterfly provided evidence that the deal had, in fact, been made and that Star was currently not spoken for, and rumors were spread about a possible marriage to a foreign kingdom to promote friendship. Through careful maneuvering, Reign removed all options besides himself as none would enter into a binding arrangement with him in the several month time span.__Finally, he met Star Butterfly on a day chosen by the Council. Before he could arrive though a jester attempted to kill Reign with a stampede of spidergoats to prevent his marriage. He then revealed a plot against the Butterfly's which Reign summoned the guard to quash immediately, causing his arrival to be delayed.'_

Star again felt her heart drop. She and her family may have been killed. And Reign said nothing, and acted like nothing had happened. The fact he did stop it though was a cold comfort. It was simply another lie to placate her and her family.

_'Reign reported the incident to his mother just moments before the Butterfly's were due to arrive. He managed to catch those responsible and sent them to be interrogated by Torro after his act with the Butterfly's was complete. The conspirators acted alone and likely wouldn't have made it to the castle, let alone the Butterfly's, however all were put to death for their actions against the country's allies. It was decided not to reveal this information to them as the incident was taken care of. However the attack did succeed in harming Reign as he nursed a broken rib the entire day.'_

Star reread the line several times in disbelief. What kind of man has a broken rib yet acts so, completely fine? Especially after the early start to the issues. She needed answers, but she felt the answer was obvious. He must always be acting. Never showing weakness or his true self. Perhaps, not even his family knew the true depths of his pain. She felt her heart beat a moment, just lost in thought at what Reign had gone through in his life. She knew her own life was harsh, that she feared having to wear a mask to hide how miserable she was, but Reign lived that nightmare to this day. To the point where he wanted so bad to meet her, he pretended everything was alright even with a broken rib. The isolation he felt was unimaginable to her. Especially since it was becoming more and more clear that unlike herz he didn't really have family to fall back on. She took a breath and braced herself. This was now where she came into the story.

_'Reign met that night with several members of his guard and informed them to put more effort into protecting the wing where Star was staying, noting rather quickly that one of his own had been replaced with one of her friends. A girl named Janna Ordonia.'_

Star was flabbergasted. He knew!

_'He decided not to hide anything as to preserve her own cover. When she seemed to look for an excuse to leave, he gave her one, to check on Star and see if she needed anything. He was heavily surprised when Jackie Lynn-Thomas appeared at his study and began to make small talk and discuss monster law with him. He knew she was a distraction, but played the game anyway. He enjoyed the conversation and hoped to befriend all of Star's friends if they were this fascinating.'_

Star smiled a bit, perhaps Jackie had done a very good job after all. Maybe he invited her to go surfing just to spend more time with her. She giggled to herself as she began to see herself as a matchmaker, until she remembered that until things get sorted, it wouldn't matter either way.

'_He was surprised when he had heard about the ordeal the Butterfly group had gone through just trying to save his life from an assassination attempt. He was very grateful, but also extremely saddened that this was probably the only reason he would speak with them outside of forced encounters. He didn't have too long to dwell on it as on his way to his quarters he was intercepted by a guard, noting a large fire in the 'Monster District'. He immediately gave a few safety orders and headed down to suit up and lead the guard in rescue operations. Thanks to the swift response of his men he was easily able to get everything in order. He personally joined the rescue squad, stating he wasn't sending his men anywhere he himself would not go. This resulted in minor heat related injuries, and a thorough coating of soot.__He gave his report before an emergency group and was relieved for rest. He quickly took a bath and headed to his room where Shar'ah was awaiting him. She wanted to play and having a soft spot for the girl, Reign agreed. The two played until nearly sundown and Shar'ah left for dinner. Reign went down to the barracks and ate a quick meal with his men to try and raise moral. He soon went back to work and worked throughout the night into the next day, right until noon. He had a short four hour rest until he was called to the small council to go over a few points on his law, after which he again joined his men for dinner and then patrolled with them. The next day, while nearing the end of his patrol he was attacked by a man wearing guard armor. Reign was able to fend off the attacker but two of his guards were killed in action while a third was seriously wounded by a few ambushers who used the opening to attack. Reign himself only took a knife wound to the back, sustaining relatively light damage. He was told to get bed rest by his mother and he did until the next morning. He headed out early and went to the library and recorded with this book his memories of recent events to hand over to Star Butterfly. Intent on her learning many truths.'_

Star slowly fell back onto her bed, simply stunned. It was suddenly very clear why she hadn't seen him and why he was asleep when she did. Reign was certainly no slacker. He was a lot like Marco. Star found herself worried as she found herself comparing Marco and Reign.

Then it clicked to her, she really was focusing quite a bit on Reign lately. But, now she had a further look at the man himself. He had a complicated life, but it seemed that right now he was being driven forward, but it felt, hollow. Almost as if these were the only reasons he was alive. Like she was before Marco. Before him, she was prepared to settle. She'd marry Tom like everyone seemed to want, have a child, then, when her mother died, she'd kill herself and be done with it all. She turned back towards the book and held it aloft. Remembering a question from just a moment before.

"Why did Reign try and act fine for so long, even when he was practically dying?"

'The words are only mine conjecture. He doth wish to fade away into obscurity when his duties be done. He seemeth to have three goals in his life.

Pass his Monster Citizenship Law

Ensure his sister no longer needs him

Ensure his heroine is free to be truly happy, with whomever she chooses.

It is in mine humble opinion, that young man simply wishes to see his duties through. Without causing anyone to squander their time with him. What happens after is open to conjecture.'

Now Star couldn't help but see Marco in him again. He was so very kind, even to his own detriment. If she hadn't met Marco, he'd probably be working himself to death to help people just like Reign was. And the fact that the two were so, similar, scared her. Perhaps she loved Marco because of what Reign was, or perhaps she liked Reign because he's so similar to what Marco is.

But there was one clear thing, the truth was, she was scared. Terrified, of what the truth was. Again she found herself wondering where truth lay, what was Reign's ability and why not let the world know as his siblings had? Why did all of them, including his own mother, seem so sad when they talked about his past? What was Reign really after, and if those three goals are correct, what happens after they are met, and what happens if he can't succeed? So many questions were answered, but so many remained open. It was disheartening to know that all her questions lead to three.

What is Reign's talent?

Who was Reign's father?

What really happened at the Silverlight Ball?

Star sat up and stared outside. She had a week to try and get some answers, and judging from the information she had, there was one event coming up she had to attend. If it was as she thought, soon it would be time for the Silverlight Ball. She would attend it. No matter what.

"No." Moon was sitting in a chair before a make-up table in her room, she had been brushing her hair when Star came in, and as she picked her brush back up, she continued.

"Oh come on mom! This is serious. I need to try and figure out what's going on!" Star stepped further in, wanting to get closer to her mother as she knew this was going to be a sensitive subject, but Moon turned around and gave her a glare that forced her to stop.

"And I'm telling you now that it isn't happening. I'm not letting you go to this Ball, and I'm not letting you go to the next. I won't allow it until you're queen and I lose my say in the matter." Moon never let her eyes wander nor her intensity dwindle. She kept her eyes locked on Star's hoping to make her submit, but Star wasn't going to back down. Not this time. She let her gaze go cold and distant as she cut the distance between them down to just a few footsteps. Moon felt her daughter change, a rather familiar change.

"Then I'll go as Reign's plus one." Moon's eyes shot open. Of everything she had expected, even with Star's determination, it was not this. She sharpened her gaze even more and glared at Star, trying to enforce her motherly will again. She stood up and, facing her daughter, using every ounce of her queenly mannerisms on her.

"If you do that, it's over. We lose our fighting point and you will be married to him, and I know you don't want that more than you want to go." Star let her cold facade crack as anger flooded over her. She knew her mother was right.

"Grrrr. I need to know mom. If you won't let me go at least tell me why!" Moon didn't back down even as Star came up to her. She thankfully still stood taller than Star, helping her maintain her composure.

"Star, I won't. You won't go and I won't say why. It's for your own good. And believe me, you don't want to know the truth." Star was sick of those words. She was sick of being told she had to be protected from everything. Yes, she's had it bad, but she now knew how much worse it could be.

"Why wouldn't I!" Star practically yelled into her mother's face, their bodies touching just slightly. Moon remembered back to another who used such a tactic to upset her, and it worked. Her composure finally giving way.

"Because you are the one who buried that night into oblivion with magic!" Moon covered her mouth as Star stared at her, speechless. After a moment, Moon bowed her head and walked to a nearby window, looking out at the horizon, the sun just creeping up above it. "Believe me, you made the right choice. That night is one I wish the multiverse could forget. One I wish I could go back and make right. If I did, maybe everything would be better, but we've both learned about messing with the past. We can't afford to do things like that. So please. Drop this one thing. Please." Star was stunned as Moon began to quiver, tears falling from her eyes. Star made another connection.

"That's the night that ruined your friendship, isn't it?" Moon went stock still, then fell to her knees. Her tears flowed much more freely as she cried on the ground before the window. Star slowly walked up to her mother, and wrapped her from behind with her hands and tail, pulling her mother into a deep hug, one she did not fight. Moon bawled as Star held her, and she realized that what happened that night, lead to everything as it was now. That night was every bit as important as she thought. "I'm sorry mom. But I am going. Even if it means I must marry Reign." Moon tensed in Star's hold, her daughter's words shocking her straight to her core.

"Why?"

"... Because I must grow stronger. Whatever happened that night, it's too important to forget. As a child it may have been too much, but now, I need to know. I need my memory back. If you won't tell me, or help me break this spell, then I'll do what I can to remember that night myself. I won't be a pawn in Aunt Etheria's games, and I won't be your clueless little girl forever. I need to face my own hardships, and if you can't help me, please, don't stand in my way." Moon felt her tears flow more fully. And a moment later, she let her body relax. She couldn't do this to her daughter, but maybe she was right. Maybe it was time for her, to really grow up.

"I won't tell you, but I'll bring you." Moon stood up, Star had expected a hard look, but Moon's eyes were glazed with tears. "What you learn and remember, that'll be on you, but I'll be here for you regardless." Star nodded as she brought her mother in for another hug, one the woman sorrowfully accepted. But while Moon attempted to compose herself, Star began to steel herself, and figure out a way to tell Marco, or at least get him inside.

Reign was relaxing in his guest room, laying down in some casual wear he had gotten from Earth. The kahki cargo shorts and polo t-shirt felt wonderful compared to the suit or armor he normally wore. Though the furniture was almost entirely from Mewni, one piece had clearly been from a different place entirely. The A/C. He smiled as he looked over at the machine, currently idle as the room stayed at his desired temperature. It was heavenly. He understood why Gorbin and Desir had instantly begun a small campaign to get introduced to the Earth properly. Reign lightly stroked a spot on his chest as he looked at the device in the window, the slight pain reminding him he was still not back to normal yet. Then a rather courteous knock came at his door.

"Tis I milord. May I enter?" Reign immediately picked himself off the bed and put on his royal facade.

"You may enter Delli." A young woman in a maid outfit entered, but stayed at the doorway in a bow.

"Good morning milord. Breakfast will be ready soon and My Queen would very much enjoy your company this morning." Reign studied her posture and tone, a practice from home where every turn could hold an assassin. But this Mewnian maid was not showing any signs of either lying or plotting, still, Reign knew to be careful. He was in foreign territory, but that neither means ally, nor enemy.

"Excellent. I shall spruce up and be ready in a moment."

"Milady said you may dress casually. Today is a rest day for politics barring an emergency and thus said you should be comfortable. That being said, if milord wishes to wear something less casual, it will not be a problem." The maid sounded sincere and looked every bit calm, but years of picking out the little details meant that her slight tremors didn't go unnoticed.

"Very well. I'll take that opportunity, but please do relax. Unless you bite I certainly won't!" Reign gave the made a smile as her posture buckled just a moment. He knew his words had caught her off guard, but she otherwise maintained her composure, Reign did notice her shakes disappear regardless.

"I'll let milady know. Thank you sir. Do you require an escort?"

"I don't believe so. The Royal Dining Hall is down the hallway, down three flights of stairs down three doors to the left, correct?" The maid perked up that that surprised.

"You are very good with directions milord. Yes. That is the place."

"Excellent. I'll be out in a moment." The maid backed away and closed the door, never truly ceasing her bow. Reign quickly looked around the room before grabbing a brush and going through his hair a bit. Thankfully he had already been up and polished for a small amount of time, so in a flash he was ready. No, not quite. He looked back at a nearby coat rack and picked up his crown. He knew one of his duties today and he hoped he would actually have a chance to fulfil it before time struck again.

He placed the crown on his head and grabbed a small metal rod, placing it just within his pants. He remembered a meal not all that long ago that ended rather poorly. He was saddened that he would have to go again in just a few months, but at least he learned not to trust anyone at such an event. He took a breath and followed his chosen path. A few maids and butlers along the way bowed and greeted him, and he kept up his smiling facade as he greeted them in turn. He was surprised by the lack of guards in the castle. Even the dining room, soon to hold all the powerful people of Mewni, was only guarded by one guard. The guard gave him no pause as he stepped to the side, no announcement as he ushered Reign inside. Reign felt the world grow cold for just a moment as he entered, thankfully finding only Toffee waiting for him.

"Prince Reign. Good to see you. I do apologize for everyone's tardiness. My wife and daughter are having a chat, Jackie is looking for Marco, and, well, no one knows where Marco is curr-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Marco came bounding in, a strange outfit of ripped leather was upon him as he breathed heavily. It looked like he hadn't slept a wink even without seeing his face, currently pointed towards the floor. "Got news about trouble brewing in the neverzone. Turns out, that time dilation got turned down quite a bit." He looked up and spotted Toffee and Reign, his face quickly turning serious.

"Well, I guess the rumors about the great hero of the Neverzone were true. Glad you're back safe and sound." Reign gave a pleasant smile as Marco glared daggers at him.

"Yes. Good to see you Toffee."

"Marco, please show our guest at least the minimum of respect. While this is a place where we allow ourselves to act openly, Reign is a guest and he is being a good one. So please. Don't do something rash." Marco maintained his glare as he made his way to the table, passing Reign, to sit one seat off from in front of Toffee. Reign sighed inwardly as he made his place to the opposite side of the table from them, opposite it's head. This put a good five feet between him and Marco, but Marco maintained his glare. Toffee sighed a bit as he squeezed the bridge of his nose with one of his clawed hands. "Marco, if all goes to how Star wants this to end, you'll be King of Mewni, and that means smiling even at those who just yesterday were your foes."

"He's my foe today. Don't tell me he's gotten to you too?" The pain in Toffee's voice.

"Marco my boy, calm your mind. We are at peace, we almost have Star out if this arrangement, and to be honest, we are getting the lionshare of the positives. This can't go any better realistically and all it costs is you can't go public with your relationship with Star for a little longer. Please, be level headed." Marco fixed Toffee with a short glare before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His expression lightened slightly, but now it came off as stern attention, instead of angry glare.

"Apologies, I've been, overly disrespectful." Reign raised a hand, a neutral expression covering his face. Even if Marco meant not a word of it, Reign wasn't about to add oil to this fire.

"Fear not Sir Marco. I understand what you're going through. I had a girl I favored several years ago and I too was jealous of the others around her. I promise you that, with all our authority, we Overtures wish to free Star from all obligation to marry. It should be her choice, one of the love in her heart. And right now that choice is you. If it makes you feel better, we are working on a few minor conditions to seal the deal. So please, be at ease. Star is yours, and in due time no one will be able to do anything to the contrary." Reign gave his smile but Marco did not change his disposition or posture, but before he could say anything the door opened and Moon and Star walked in. Both were wearing casual clothes, with Moon in a blue t-shirt and blue pants while Star wore a green sundress that came down to her knees, her tail poking out through an intentional hole.

"Good morning gentlemen." Moon smiled halfway nervously as she and Star took their seats. The room grew silent for a moment before some doors burst open and food was served. Not a word was spoken as everyone ate their fill of eggs, sausages, and even some tacos. But as the last servant left with the last plate, the tension grew as it was clear everyone was here for a reason. Marco had gone back to his passive glare, as Reign did his best to sit at attention, Toffee had perfected his neutral stare, but both Star and Moon were glancing around nervously. Until Moon began the conversation.

"So Reign, we got your mother's gift just in the nick of time."

"I'm glad. Mom was worried she'd spent too much time picking the perfect picture for it."

"Where did she get the picture though?"

"Magic crystals. We have a few that can mimic to a lesser extent some of Earth's technologies. Now when and who are questions I don't have the answers to."

"That's fine. A topic for her and me to discuss. Now, onto another matter. In one month's time the Silverlight Ball is coming up, correct?" Toffee and Reign stared in utter shock at Moon as she smiled nervously. Star struggled to maintain her pose as Reign collected himself.

"Y-yes. It's soon."

"Good. Um, please inform your mother, that, uh, I'll be bringing as my plus one, Star." Her grin widened, the falsities increasing as Toffee was actually at a loss for words. Reign slumped forward as his face slammed against the table with enough force to make a loud bang. Even Marco was unable to keep up his hatred at the level of absurdity that both Reign and Toffee were expressing.

"You ca- uh, you're sure?" Reign was trying, but failing to compose himself as he rapidly shifted his gaze between the Butterfly women, a fact Marco took of particular note.

"Well, yes. I think it's in the best interest for everyone that she be present to show both current and future queens of Mewni are for this friendship between nations." Moon had practiced this response for the past ten minutes, and unfortunately she wasn't fooling anyone, not that most were really worried about that right then. Reign closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Well, I'll inform mother of your intentions when I get back home. Truth be told, I am in charge of coordinating with the other nations so, this is a final confirmation. Are you absolutely sure, or do you want more time to think on this? You do have some more time to think this over." Moon took a deep breath and looked over to Star, her confidence practically bursting forth as she sat up properly in her seat.

"... Yes."

"... Okay then. Well, that changes up the dance plan a lot." Reign immediately composed himself as he buried everything into his work, though an air of discomfort hung in the air around him. "We can go over the schedule of events later as you are the last to RSVP, though that is no fault of your own." Marco fell back into his glare as he looked at Reign. The tale in his mind absolute.

"Of course. But tell me, are we allowed to bring a personal guard?"

"Yes Queen Moon. Each guest is allowed one guard in the hall itself, so two for your group, but as the event is closely monitored by the Royal Guard their actions and equipment are limited for safety concerns." Marco narrowed his eyes as for him, the final pieces fell into place.

"Then I can bring Marco?"

"Of course Star."

"I'm not attending." The room was shocked into silence again as every eye turned to Marco, his anger visible on his face, his hand idly tapping the hilt of his sword.

"But, Marco. It's-"

"I'm. Not. Attending. And neither will Star. This entire thing is clearly a plot to cement this marriage and control at least the throne of Mewni, if not more."

"Marco-" Star was cut off as Marco slammed his hands against the table, his body jerking up in response to the force. Marco quickly found his feet on the ground and he took a stance, ready to draw his weapon.

"Enough! I don't know exactly what you've done, but I can only see this ending in pain for everyone but you. I'll-" Marco was cut off as a scaly hand grabbed his. He looked over and came face to face with a terrifying sight. An angry Toffee.

"Now that's enough!" Toffee glared at Marco angrily as Marco finally snapped out of his rage, his hand loosening on his sword. "I've asked you time and again to calm down but I guess that's too tall an order. If you cannot act civilized in the face of one you despise so much, then go learn that skill. We will allow you back into the castle after you've learned some respect." Marco went flat, his fiery anger dying at the cold bite.

"W-wha-"

"Do I need to be more clear? Go home Marco. You can come back to go to that concert, but if this is how you'll act you can wait until he leaves to return here otherwise." Toffee turned away as Marco tried to form some words. He had faced Toffee's anger before, but those he understood fully. They were all for Star's sake. This time, it felt like a dagger to his heart. He expected more thrashing as he drew out time, but it seemed Toffee hadn't even considered it worthwhile. After what felt like minutes, he walked away. No quip or response even finding its way to his tongue. The room remained silent as he left, and for a moment afterwords nothing was said, until Toffee himself broke the silence. "Well, I must say I am, surprised you didn't object Star."

"Well dad, I honestly was, about to do the same. He's not acting right. I might try and talk to him, but I think giving him a few days to get his head straight first is paramount. I mean, he's going to get everything he wants without a fight! He's being too jealous right now. I wasn't even this bad when he dated Jackie in front of me."

"Well Star, I'm glad you've grown as a better woman than I had ever hoped. Honestly I would have been hopeless if not for your father."

"Too much credit my dear. You would have been fine. With River I'm sure you would be strong all the same." Star smiled at her parents as she turned to Reign, and found him simply staring down at his plate, sullen. Star was ready to question it when he brought himself up and put on a smile she now knew, was fake.

"I, don't want to ruin the mood, but if I may ask, why the interest in the ball Star?" Star again knew what she wanted and what she should ask conflicted, and again she thanked her time with Eclipsa for teaching her when to go one way or the other.

"Well, I was reading the book when I read mention of the ball. There wasn't anything else there and as I thought about it, I, remembered, meeting you and Petunia." She watched as Reign's face went ghostly white. "That's, about it though." Reign's completion didn't improve as Moon and Toffee struggled to hold their poker faces, and for the first time ever, she felt she really did have the best one in the room.

"That's, probably for the best." Moon looked to Reign, her face cracking into absolute worry.

"Does, that book have, everything?" Star was amazed her mother didn't even try to hide the fact she was trying to keep that night a secret.

"Star can't read about that night what she doesn't already know as fact. There's, a lot that's like that. The only ones who can read everything, are the Ruler with the Blood, and a chosen individual. There hasn't been a chosen one in over a century though. It's, really rare. And Star, I can see you getting upset. That night is best forgotten by those that can. Even Glossaryck knew that when he saw what you cast on yourself." Star hadn't even noticed herself, but at his words her hands loosened their grip on the table.

"But, I couldn't use magic until a few years ago, and I still needed the wand for some time after that! Besides, how do you know of the magic?"

"Well Star, we told him when we heard of the arrangement, and magic does manifest by itself sometimes. Or did. It was part of magic falling apart. I had some similar experiences, and Glossaryck said it was better to just, let it go. I guess now the magic is weaker than your will and you're beginning to remember, but like Reign, I suggest against it."

"But, Reign even said he'd like me to remember on my own!"

"That was one of the few lies I've told you." Star turned and looked at Reign. She knew he'd have to lie about things, but to hear him admit it was a different story. "Well, in part. Magic can be bad and telling you what happened may cause unknown side effects, but you breaking the spell to remember would be safer. At least according to your mother. It's why no one will answer a few questions. Besides, that night is, best forgotten, and left behind. That's one of the reasons mom decided to be friends with Queen Moon again. It's, best to move on."

"But, but we can't forget the past-"

"We can and sometimes we must. Just like monsters have to forget all the pains mewmans forced on them, and that monsters put back on mewmans. If we don't we don't move forward. So please. For your sake, drop it." Reign was nearly in tears as Star watched on. She looked between her parents and him, noting her parents pleading gaze. She knew what to do, lie.

"Fine. I won't pry into it that much. But I still want to go."

"... I'll take what I can get." Reign relaxed a bit, though color only partially returned to his face, now wet with tears. "We will have to discuss everything about the pomp and ceremony though. It's, changed in the last few years. Tends to go in cycles and unlike the ones your mother and father went to, this one is special. Odds are the new heirs will be born around then." As Reign finished drying his face of tears Star was in wonder, ready to drop the touchy subject for one everyone could get behind for a moment.

"Oooh! I hope I can be introduced when they're born!"

"Of course. You'll be among the first foreigners to meet them. But that also means a new dance becomes involved. The flow of things can be discussed another time."

"Actually, now is a good time. I'm afraid Star doesn't know too many waltzes. So we might as well go over what to expect. Gives us time to prepare."

"Well, that could be a problem, but I think we're safe this year. There are five total dances and three events. It all begins with the gathering hour. It's as the name implies. Following that is the first talk. We give a small speech of little import to you to be honest, mostly pleasantries. Then comes the first dance. The first dance doesn't have a special title but is important in one way, it is a dance of all the royals in attendance. Only one pair from each kingdom, and it's a simple waltz. And it may be odd, but Queen Moon, you and Star will be expected to dance."

"I see, simple enough, if awkward."

"Almost immediately after is the dance of joining. It's for young couples married or intending to marry within the year. Obviously we want to avoid the dance. Then is the first event, dinner and show. We will be bringing a few entertainers from around the kingdoms. We considered Earth entertainment, but time wasn't on our side. Earth foods might make it in though." Star licked her lips, a sign Reign took to be one of her not remembering about her last ball. "Then it's the dance of friendships. If she attends, Star will have to dance. We can arrange for it to be anyone except Gorbin as he must be ready to go should Desir come to labor."

"So even Petunia?"

"Yes. Like I said, almost anyone. It merely means we are on good terms and Star will only be required to dance once. The rest of the time can be talking or food. It's a very casual dance overall. Then comes the second event, an overall plan for our kingdom moving forward, usually involves helping a smaller kingdom with their problems. Bit of a family tradition."

"Indeed. You've helped the Butterflys often, even before we were officially allies." Toffee interjected, a small smile on his face.

"Yes, and your contributions to the displaced monsters was most welcome as well. I hear you are even helping Globgor and his section of our kingdom."

"Yes, it's one of our announcements. Since this friendship was restored so late, not much more will be announced. Beyond that is the fourth dance, the dance of intent. Another dance to avoid, it's mostly for younger folk around Petunia's age looking to court. However, any single people are allowed to ask. Then it's the final dance, and it's an optional dance for the both of you. It's friendly in nature and intent, so anyone can dance with anyone. Your call and no slights or advances are taken either way. Then the third event, a meeting amongst royals. It's less an important thing as it is in the open, but it is a final reaffirmation that we all hold each other as friends. Then it's a social hour, then it's time to go home, or find a room. That's about it, and if you pick Petunia, you'll only need the basic waltz, or the Catamare Waltz. That's about it."

"Well, that seems simple. Star should be comfortable with the standard, and the Catamare isn't too dissimilar. Of course, that's to assume Petunia is available and Star hasn't forgotten how to dance."

"Good catch about Petunia. She's probably going to be popular as the only girl without a suitor. Meaning it's between my mother, who will be popular, father, who might be available, Torro, who might be available, and myself, who will certainly be available." Star felt the barest hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll have plenty of dance partners."

"And you've not been in eight years Queen Moon. I'll have a few, but far less than the others. But that's besides the point. So long as you know those two it won't matter who you dance with. Though more variety couldn't hurt."

"Well, if it's not binding, what would dancing with you mean?"

"Nothing in stone Star, but few dance with me without reason. There are a few baronesses whose daughters dance with me, then when Ponyhead came she's danced with me, but that's about it." Star felt bad, but that also lead to her noticing something, about how unsurprised they were. Her parents clearly knew a lot more than her, but she knew they wouldn't give an answer. Again, she was on her own. And she was worried that perhaps soon, it would be even more so. Marco was proving to be a bit too aggressive, and Jackie might have difficulties, even with his clear interest.

"Well, we'll see how the night progresses. What about your sister Aria? I don't recall you mentioning her, or your uncle."

"Indeed. It is unknown if Aria will be there due to some personal issues. I think I might have more family on the way, but we will see. As for my uncle, he will not be in attendance."

"That's too bad. I'd love to finally meet Babs's brother." Reign seemed to twitch a bit at the words, but his poker face had been growing stronger. He now looked like a kid pretending not to be bored.

"Unfortunately it's impossible again. But that's one for another time. For now, that's about it for the entire event." Reign feigned a smile as Moon feigned one as well.

"I seem to recall free dance times between the main dances and, an afterparty?"

"Yes indeed. Mother has a small afterparty with a few close friends. Though, from what little I know it's a closed door affair planned months in advance. I couldn't tell you if you're invited or not. As for the small dances they won't be occurring this year."

"I see. That's fine, I won't push it. Thank you for your honesty though." Moon's voice barely dipped, but it was obvious that it hurt her a bit.

"It's fine Queen Moon. Now, what is the plan for today?" It was clear Reign was trying to be helpful, and Toffee interjected before Moon could say otherwise.

"Well, to be honest, making sure Star knows how to waltz." Reign blinked as Star stared incredulously at her father.

"Dad!"

"But, I thought she did."

"She's only ever danced once that we're aware of and, well, that wouldn't go over well." Star blinked as the memory surfaced again.

"Oh yeah. When I danced with Tom."

"Indeed. So we will have to make sure she's ready to dance. We'll find someone willing to dance with her and work on that today." Star felt an opportunity arise to try and jog her memory. After all, there was a perfectly good dance partner that probably had some free time today.

"Or we could just ask Reign. Surely he knows how to dance?" Reign blinked as both Moon and Toffee shared a glance.

"If, you want I have nothing else planned for today." Star smiled warmly as she stood up.

"Then it's decided. I'd rather practice with a friend than not at all." Reign barely contained his smile, but his excitement translated to him nearly falling over himself as he stood up.

"And I'd be glad to help a friend." The sheer joy in his voice put a small blush onto Star's cheeks as she and her parents stood up. Both Moon and Toffee were now looking between themselves and the two young ones in the room, questions bubbling forth in their minds about what was actually happening. Meanwhile, Reign was positively delighted, he was called 'friend' by Star! Nothing could possibly ruin this day.

"Well, that was certainly an experience." Moon looked around at a half destroyed ballroom dance floor and sighed again. There was simply no explaining how Star had changed after learning the Catamare Waltz. She wanted to learn a new one and Reign obliged, but that girl absolutely couldn't follow a dance made up on the spot.

After just a few minutes she had begun to try and lead and seemingly hurt Reign during one particular dip. Star had managed to cover herself pretty well, but while his coat hadn't been damaged, Moon was staring at a series of blood droplets Star had clearly meant to destroy in the magical haze she pretended to be in out of panic.

"So Moonlight, do you think we need to, intervene?"

"No dear. I think not. I knew when Babs said it was bad he wouldn't be doing well, but I never expected him to hide a wound this egregious, or to so readily ignore it to dance with our daughter."

"At least we know for a fact he cares for her. He made sure not to drop her even after he started bleeding out of his bandages."

"Yes, but judging from her reaction she knew about his injury. Guess she found out before she left. I really don't want her to get caught up in that mess. I don't want our daughter to, to-" Toffee pulled Moon into a deep hug, stroking her back as tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"It's okay dear. Those precautions are taken. If Reign were to marry, she won't be considered an Overture. And I'm sure even if she were to remember what happened, he wouldn't do anything. He's a good lad."

"Still, this was the reason why I let the bond we had shatter. I love Babs, and I'm sure Reign would make a good husband, but it's too dangerous."

"It's her decision now Moonpie. All we can do, is hope Marco can get over his jealousy and see where he stands."

"Yes. All we can do, is hope."

"So, this is the ritual Tom?" Tom looked at the boy standing in his room, a fire in his eyes that could rival the fires outside.

"Yeah. But are you sure? If he isn't lying, you're digging your grave in this." Marco stepped forward, his resolve assured.

"Look man, I'm sure. He's playing everyone up but so long as we expose the truth Reign will get what he deserves. Did you make contact with that noble family?" Tom took a step back, intimidated by his friend's heated words.

"Yes, but the not directly yet. I've been going through proxies but I think I've got an opening to meet with them directly. However, that's as far as I've gotten. What about you?" Marco puffed his chest out.

"Janna was right. I'm in good with the Anti-Reign faction and it seems to be a lot bigger than I thought. Apparently he's planning something at the Silverlight Ball and when that happens, we will expose him for the criminal he is." Tom placed his hands on Marco's shoulders, remembering the task he was asked for since he stayed so far away from Reign.

"Again dude, if he is innocent, the price will be paid by us. Demon rituals are like that you know?" Marco smiled confidently.

"For everything Star has done for us, it'll be worth it. Besides, if they're being honest Star will be free of her marriage by then, and if she seems normal after that we can drop it. Right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then it's fine." Marco began to walk towards the book Tom had open on his desk, looking at the demonic markings he had never read before. "Now, what do I need to finish this?"

"... Nothing. I've got it all prepared. Just make sure you have a way to the Ball. If you miss it, we miss our chance to expose him publicly."

"Don't worry. Star will take me. I'll just have to suck it up and act good for two weeks and I'm sure we'll be fine. I did fight it, but I'll say I'm sorry and arrange to be there." Marco stood face to face with Tom as his confidence finally wore down Tom's resilience.

"If you say so. But, while you're here, wanna spar?" Marco smiled as he turned away, walking towards the door to the room.

"Sure, I could work out some, aggression."

"So Janna. How bad would it be if I was, interested in him for real?" The beanie wearing girl in the mirror phone slurped on a drink, clearly reaching the end as she tossed it behind her.

"Depends. If he's being honest it's pretty cool. If he's lying, well, I wouldn't put it past him to enjoy a harem. Lot of kings did stuff like that."

"I don't think he's lying Jan. And he seems to be interested in me too."

"Girl, with a body like that most people are interested."

"I don't think that's it. It's been growing since that night the two of us talked about building a skate park. It's, gotten bad. I'd love for him to just, grab me and take me on a surprise date. I never had it this bad for Marco. And I'm scared. I just, need to know what to do." Jackie curled up into a ball and sat there in silence for what felt like forever.

"Well, word on the grapevine is the public is not aware of the engagement, merely rumors of one to force Babs to go along with it or make it official before we knew of it, and word on the council is they are about ready to give up on the wedding making that point moot. So, he'll be free soon. If you make a move, just don't forget to use protection." Jackie popped up in a blush as Janna winked, lightly blushing herself. Jackie smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Thanks Jan. I, needed to hear that."

"No problem girl. Reign seems like a decent guy when you look at everything he's done. But, the guy is too mysterious. And something just isn't adding up."

"And what's that?" Jackie was smiling at first but as Janna's silence continued, it faltered. The realization that Janna wasn't joking slowly crossing her face.

"... Reign has been facing assassination attempts almost constantly since he was conceived. But that's actually normal after a child has reached ten years of age and is of royal blood. However, even after an heir was named, and after he was moved near the bottom, the attempts didn't decrease like the others. But all the assassinations seem to have one thing in common…" Janna went uncharacteristically silent, scaring Jackie as the silence continued.

"And that is?"

"... I think they're all working for the same people."

"Why didn't you say you were tired or something?"

"I was having fun. You're actually really fun to dance with by the way." Reign was lying in a bed, a nurse stitching his back-wound closed with care and precision.

"Well, thanks, but it could have ended badly for you. I'm just relieved you only lost a part of your stitching. Who did it anyway?"

"... I did. Didn't want them to cancel this trip based on a simple wound."

"This is a dangerous wound!"

"It barely broke the skin. I'll be fine. Though I'm sure your parents are aware now that this is an older wound."

"Yeah, there goes your surfing trip."

"Yeah, no. I'm going. I can get some stuff to seal the wound for a day or two, just delays the healing a bit. It's a place for relaxing and I'm not missing out on that."

"You can relax here!" Reign snapped up, almost angry, and that surprised her greatly.

"Do you know everyone who enters the castle on a monthly basis?" Star went quiet. "Do you know what they do, how they do it, at what times they do it? Do you know their meal preferences? Do you know what perfume they like to wear? Do you know what every poison smells and tastes like? How they react to each other? Do you know how to survive being poisoned for years without anyone realizing how?" Reign's voice rose as the nurse finished. She quickly backed off, feeling that perhaps she wasn't supposed to be in this conversation, leaving as quickly as possible to avoid becoming another victim.

"I do. Because I had to. It's saved my life and the lives of others more times than I can count. I am used to attempted assassinations by now, so I memorize faces pretty quickly and assign them as 'worker' and the like. I learned the faces of servants, though knights won't do much good most of the time as their helmets do make it hard to identify them. As for poisons, I would deliberately find them, smell them, and taste them after studying them. And still, most of the time I survive because people don't know how much poison actually makes it into the body when ingested. I'm alive partially through my efforts, and partially because of sheer, dumb luck. And I'm tired of it." Reign took a few deep breathes as he nearly cried, somehow managing to calm himself down to a complete standstill as Star looked on. "So, what's next on the agenda." He was back to normal. Like everything had just not happened.

"Why are you so used to this?" Reign stopped as he looked at Star, his head pounding from the tirade he was now honestly past. "You had someone trying to kill you not even two weeks ago yet you're fine? And the way you talk about assassinations, you are treating this like it's an everyday occurrence!"

"And for the most part it is." Star felt her entire being fall away at that. "My life isn't easy. I always have to watch out for assassins. Most attempts never get past planning because I've been so diligent some people have given up before they even get out the door. Mom thinks most attempts have stopped, but they haven't. It never stops, and I have to suspect everyone. Everytime I drink something I have a plan for at least seven different poisons. I have countermeasures for just about every possible plot at home, but everything relies on my being active. The reason I am good with surfing, and why I feel safe there, is the security there actually is top notch.

They don't want bad press from anyone dying there for any reason, even during an off-season time. It is literally the only place I can relax fully. I don't expect you to understand the lengths these people go through, but please understand that they aren't driven by logic. Most of them don't even really know why people want me dead." Reign's voice began to go lower as he looked out a window, the nurse leaving the room as the awkwardness for her increased greatly. Star realized he was right. There had been assassins after her own life, but she only knew of eight direct attempts before the Mina incident, and beyond that her parents have stated only two more or so ever tried.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay Star."

"But it isn't."

"And I'm saying it is so we can forget about it. Everyone has challenges in their lives. You had to deal with magic, I deal with assassins. Let's just, move forward." Star looked at his back, the stitching still fresh and the blood barely stinted. She just couldn't believe that someone could put on such an act like that. Then she remembered, Marco could and would. He was someone who loved her greatly and he'd been hurt for her before. She felt, terrible, but like Reign said, it was time to move on.

"Then, let's get you to the library. I hear Buff Frog has left his kids there to play a bit." Reign turned around and smiled, but now Star knew for certain, it was fake. A mask to protect both of them from the truth.

An older woman walked into a dark room. The only illumination coming from behind as she walked inside. She held aloft a small object and, with a flick of her wrists, lit it up. She was an old woman, silver-blue hair and hunched over from an unkind life. Her face showed it's age, all but the five-pointed stars on her cheeks. She scanned the room and spotted an older gentleman standing in a corner, asleep on his feet. She clamored over and upon reaching him, tapped him with the alight object.

"Huh, wha?" He looked down and spotted the woman, a moment passed as he composed himself, his eyes narrowing at the woman. "You're late."

"I have to be careful. We don't need me getting caught at this junction."

"True. Well then, shall we get to it?"

"You first."

"Fine. The Overture's are making headway on the agreement as expected. It won't be much longer before the arrangement is annulled. I've tried to derail it, but I've only bought a little time. It should suffice on my end."

"Good. On mine it seems everyone is playing their parts as I thought they would. Marco was kicked out for a few days, should drive the point home just the way we want."

"Then it seems we are finally right where we want to be."

"Indeed. Though, do we have to meet in person for these?"

"Yes. I'm monitored on all interactions, so this is the only escape I have. I nearly lost everything by siding with Mina and I will never recover."

"Until this. So, what's next?"

"I use this restroom as I'm supposed to and leave. You'll have to wait sometime before you're allowed to leave for obvious reasons."

"Right. Well, get on with it then. I'll just, be here."

"... At least turn the light on." The old man reached over into the darkness and hit a switch, causing lights to flare up in an Earth bathroom. "Thank you, and good night." The old man had already fallen asleep standing as the woman entered the stall. "Soon, that girl will get exactly what she deserves."

**A/N****So, here we are, responding to some comments again!****Book of Eli:****Don't fret too much. Starco isn't dead. Yet. I just feel this is how Marco would go. He is a jealous boy, we've seen the symptoms of it from before he was with Jackie and when Star was with Tom. But here, he had Star. They were in love and ready to simply be, together. But then Reign comes in and he becomes worried for Star, and then with all the information he sees, he's going to get protective as he assumes Reign isn't being upfront. He's being safe, and jealous.****But Star sees what she believes is the truth. So similar to before Marco was kidnapped by Toffee in the show they can't see what the other does and can't come to a peaceful resolution right now. And besides. Who says no one is egging him on to BE that jealous. It's not too hard to predict someone when you know them well.****On another note, I've been going over older chapters to, fix them up, and discovered I may have left in some confusing statements by accident. First and foremost, the general populace of Gord has no idea about the marriage being real, or to the Butterfly family. They have heard rumors and are in support of a marriage involving Reign and a distant Kingdom for multiple reasons. However, because of the actions of the council and royal family it is only a rumor. As for why the council hides it is a matter of safety for Star, as some may see her as a legitimate threat for the throne.****Second, and I'm writing this having just finished the first draft of the finale of the second act, no one is out of the game yet. Once again Starco isn't dead. But neither is StarXOC, or JackieXOC, or Jarco. Only thing I will confirm is JanTom. That's pretty much hard cannon for me in this story, and in Act three when they finally get a date, we will find out how they bonded so well!****In chapter one, I also had Babs straight up say the ball without anyone worrying. This was a mistake on my part. As both Moon and Toffee should have reacted to it, while Star should have paid no heed to it at this point**.

**Another thing to note is I find myself spelling Babs's full name wrong. It is Babsibaraie. Not Babsibarae. I apologize for any confusion this may bring.**

**Also, I don't know why, but lately I'm having trouble uploading files from my Google Drive. says they are not the right file type. which is interesting as others in the same format works. just a heads up as it may delay me getting these chapters out.**

**Now for a request on opinions. This is a long chapter, but the second act finale chapter is quite a bit bigger. Would you like me to split it up if it gets over 18k words to fit the sizes of other chapters? It's still a little ways off, but I wanted to ask now as I edit these chapters and write the flow of the third act. Please comment and let me know!**


	7. Monstar Evening

"Everyone ready?" Star asked as she looked at her fellow fun goers. Star herself was wearing a black Love Sentence dress with shorts underneath,Tom was dressed in a blue Love Sentence T-shirt with matching shorts and wearing a hat with their log and Marco was almost his twin, except his was pink. Janna didn't wear any Love Sentence gear, but did have a large amount of glowsticks to wave around. Jackie and Reign however were dressed very differently. Both had on wetsuits and were carrying surfboards.

"Yes indeed. After all these meetings it'll be nice to hang up my thoughts and just ride waves again."

"Ditto dude. But you guys need to tell me of any crazy stuff happening at the concert, so try and pay some attention to it between making out." Jackie smiled as the four other teens blushed lightly.

"Oh come on Jacks, you know we won't be making out that much. We love Love Sentence too much."

"Yeah, Janna's right. Besides, we don't know who will be in attendance."

"Fret not Marco. Travel to Earth is successfully restricted. Basically only the people who know of your relationship will be able to go, so feel free to make up lost time while you're there." Marco looked to Reign, a surprisingly blank look upon his face.

"How did you manage that?"

"Limited contact clause. Basically since we have very tenuous relations with Earth we don't want to, put stress on a new relationship before they're ready. Currency exchange is about all that's been done so far."

"Well at least you'll probably have an easy time. People around here have opinions on demons."

"Dude, trust me, some of us have great opinions on demons." Janna gave Tom a flirtatious look that sent the boy into a mad blush.

"I'm, uh, yeah. Uh, okay." He smiled nervously as Janna chuckled. The group enjoyed the moment as they looked towards a nearly setting sun.

"Okay guys, we should head out to get good seats. I'd hate to miss out on a chance to see them in close proximity. You two have fun surfing!"

"Will do Star, and remember Janna, we can't post the recording anywhere yet." Janna nodded as she removed her beanie, revealing a small recording set up and the fact that her hat was enchanted to be transparent from the inside.

"Got it." Marco and Reign got out their respective scissors and each cut a portal, they let their guests through as Marco grabbed Reign's shoulder.

"Reign, I'm going to try and give you a chance. The chance I should have given you from the start. I'm, sorry I've been so harsh on you lately."

"No problem Marco. I can understand why you acted the way you did. But if I may give some advice?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a terrible actor, even now. I don't want to hurt anyone, and that includes Star, Jackie, and you. So please, turn this lie into a reality." Marco let go as Reign pushed away and into his portal, Marco's face dropping to one of mild anger.

"I won't, but I'll make sure to expose your lies for the multiverse to see." He turned and stepped through his own portal, the two vortices closing behind the two boys. Marco looked forward and quickly found his friends. He jumped in line with them and before he could say a word, Star shot him a small glare.

"What did you say to him?"

"I did-" Star's glare deepened, causing him to stop for a moment. "Okay, I, apologized for being so rude to him lately, and promised to try and not jump to conclusions." Star looked him up and down, taking deep breathes through her nose, before dropping her glare into a warm smile.

"Okay, thank you for being honest. And thank you again for giving him a fair chance. You'll see Marco, he's not so bad." Marco nodded as Star turned to Janna and began to talk about their favorite members of the band as Tom shot him a look. Marco returned it and nodded his head. As they got to the ticket booth, they took deep breathes and pushed forward. Tonight was not a night to dwell on a guy who wasn't there.

"Whoa." Jackie looked around at the scene before her. She was in what almost looked like a mall, but instead of convenience stores, there were various officials wearing what almost looked life lifeguard uniforms, but each had a pair of scissors in-hand and a series of various styles of weapons on a belt around their waists. She began to look around as Reign stepped beside her.

"Welcome to the 'Water Fun Dimension'. A place where if you want to enjoy something involving water, you come here. This facility is extremely secure and there are safety precautions against over a million different possible events. Privacy is assured and with some special bracelets that can detect a need for help and some golems placed nearby, it's perfectly safe."

"Whoa. So it's all automated?"

"Yup. If any direct care is needed there is medical staff on standby, but for the most part it's automated. Our caretaker is 10046, and she's over there." Reign pointed to their left, and she spotted a slim looking woman about seven feet tall in height. "Word of note, they are a species whose appearance changes depending on the viewer. They all look unique, but essentially, you and I will see a different image, and hear a different voice. That's why they have number tags." Jackie was a bit dumbfounded as Reign took her hand and lead her forward. She hadn't expected the move, but it felt natural, just like when Star or Janna did it. As they approached, the woman smiled and spoke in a smooth, calming voice.

"Greetings and welcome. You must be Reign Overture and guest?"

"Yes indeed 10046. Good to see you again. How is the family?"

"Good. My mother is expecting again and father is relieved as he really missed having kids around. My boyfriend is now my husband, but currently we have no plans for kids."

"Glad to hear things are going well for you."

"Of course. I'm just glad I can be honest. It can feel awful to lie to improve your guests experiences."

"Indeed. But unfortunately I know it's rather sparse right now, so before you get into trouble lets move on."

"Certainly. You will be at beach 437-86A. There are plenty of towels, change in outfits, and as is standard a Relafidian Crystal to deprive outside access to your destination by all but select staff. The bungalow is fully furnished with appropriate drinks and food, and we have even managed to include some programs from Earth to be displayed in case you desire. If you have any questions or concerns the information golem will be able to assist. Any further questions?"

"Not for me, Jackie?" Jackie took it all in, then shook her head.

"Okay then. I will open a portal now. Is there any belonging you wish for me to store?"

"No thank you."

"Okay then!" Without a further word the woman pulled out her scissors and cut a portal. "Please step on through and enjoy yourselves!" The pair nodded as they passed through. Instantly Jackie was hit with very familiar sensations. Her nose smelled salt, her body felt a warm, wet breeze, and her eyes saw a glistening sunset over a beach with amazing waves, ranging from short, four footers to nearly monstrous thirty footers depending on where her eyes landed. She quickly noted that this was also an island, with a single building on the center, and a blue stone pillar nearby.

"Excellent. Now the pillar is the information golem. Next to it is the bungalow where the towels and that 'televison' they are trying to bring over is at. We have had a sinilar device before but it appears the t.v. is simply better suited to viewing. There are chairs for lounging and obviously lots of waves to surf. So, feeling excited yet!?" Reign could barely contain himself as Jackie stared in wonder. She now knew why he was so excited, this place was amazing, a surfers paradise. And here she was, in a form-fitting wetsuit, showing off her curves, with Reign. Alone. In his form-fitting wetsuit. Smiling. In the light of the sunset. In a breeze that made his hair frame his face-

Jackie snapped away towards the beach again. She barely managed to catch that she had begun to drool. Reign was certainly attractive- no. She had to be strong. This was an important day for them. They were going to relax and have fun. Nice fun. Two people fu- Jackie shook her head again. She couldn't believe that she was having these thoughts. Even though she was becoming interested, now was not the time. They were just becoming friends for goodness sakes!

"Ready to hit some waves?" Jackie was brought fully back to reality at that as she met his warm gaze and smile. She felt her heart thrum in excitement. Smiling back, she had the perfect reply.

"After a warm up stretch, heck ya." Reign smiled as he lead the two of them towards the beach. A light blush on his face as the image of her stretching entered his mind unbidden.

"Okay, got everything you wanted Star?" Star nodded vigorously as she wheeled a small cart of food. There was easily enough food to feed a large family, but everyone of them knew if it was on the cart, it was going into one girl's belly. The wind picked up for a moment causing Star and Janna to shiver. Immediately their boyfriends came to the rescue, holding them close so as to warm them up, and shelter them from the wind. Star began to regret dressing lightly. She forgot how much earlier the temperature changed on Earth than Mewni. But at least she had Marco by her side, and that made the decision worth it.

"Okay guys, looks like Tom's plan worked. Our seats are reserved." The group followed Janna's finger to see four hellhounds sitting on four front row seats. The group approached and as Tom passed they disappeared, much to the chagrin of several people close by. One woman, who was wandering the aisles suddenly grabbed Marco by the arm just as he was entering the row.

"Hey! We wanted those seats and we were here first!" Marco looked at the woman calmly as he replied.

"We were here over forty minutes ago. Just took a while to get all our food." The woman clearly had no intent to listen. No brats were going to stand between her and good seats!

"Well I know the owner and I'll have you banned if you don't give me those seats!" Tom turned towards the woman who was speaking, noting she looked average, but being a demon prince gave him certain luxuries. He quickly got between them and got right up into her face.

"And if you continue, not only will people know the truth about what really happened to your sister, well, let's say I know the owner, very, personally." Tom smiled as fire rose up dramatically from his body. The woman, taking the hint, quickly backed off, and found her way clear across the arena towards the back where a man was quick to look between her and them. While Marco and Star were distracted Janna watched as the man stood up, clearly pissed off. Tom merely silently snapped his fingers as a very, very muscular demon appeared before them. In an instant the demon and the couple were gone, disappeared in a puff of fire. "Whoops." The unenthusiastic tone made it clear Tom had no quarrels with doing it, but Janna didn't mind.

"So what were they gonna do?"

"Dude wasn't gonna do much, but he's already slated to die today. Was gonna get drunk here, leave, and wreck the car, killing him and his chick. Neither are angels if you couldn't tell."

"Couldn't tell what?" Tom turned to see Star staring at them as she continued to eat a series of hotdogs.

"Oh, I asked Tom where she went so I could mess with her. Seems she left the stadium with her boyfriend or something." Star nodded and turned her attention towards her food as Tom and Janna sat themselves down.

"So, you guys ready for an epic concert!"

"Heck yeah! I can't believe it's finally time! Do you think they'll do a story style skit again?"

"Nah. I'm sure they'll do something like that, but I'm betting on a talking style."

"I'm thinking they'll strut on stage and basically do a lead in from song to song. They have a huge list they're doing here and I doubt they want to be on stage for five or more hours."

"Well, uh, darn. Y'all stole all my thoughts."

"Heh. Oh! It's starting!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for-"

"Woooooohooooo!" Jackie screamed as she took a fifteen foot wave to its conclusion. She had warmed up and gotten into the water fast hoping to distract herself and boy did it work out. She hadn't been surfing in a long time, so the first wave caught her off guard, but from there she quickly got back on her feet. Looking over she saw Reign riding another wave. He was riding a slightly bigger wave, about twenty foot and she had to admit, she liked his style. He even entered the barrel and rode it out, something she had never tried.

Until today. She didn't know why but she felt she had to do it too. Quickly she paddled back out as Reign did, they were about forty feet apart as Jackie signalled to him her intent. He nodded and noted he would let the next wave pass so she could be obstruction free. She smiled as she noticed the next wave coming. She immediately got herself in position and the wave took her along. It crested as expected and the barrel formed. She quickly found her way into it. She looked around and marveled at the sight of water circling her as she dove through. The wave collapsed behind her, but she wasn't afraid. She knew she had time. She easily escaped the barrel before it's collapse and cheered to herself as she noticed Reign was starting to ride one of the twenty-five foot waves. As he finished he collapsed onto his board and motioned towards land. She looked and noticed it was now passed seven o'clock. Their promised dinner time. Jackie reluctantly swam back to the shore, promising herself another set of waves after dinner.

"So, what shall we eat?"

"How about hamburgers?"

"They don't have cow meat here unfortunately."

"They have chicken?"

"Nope."

"Delivery?"

"From everywhere but Earth."

"Shoot, okay, you pick."

"How about, Silema?"

"What's that?"

"From what you told me the other day, it's similar to a hamburger, but using spidergoat meat, with lettuce instead of bread."

"Sounds interesting. Let's do that."

"Sweet." Reign lead the way towards the building with the two of them stopping for a moment to leave their boards. Once inside Jackie noticed how, relaxing it was. It was a standard log cabin style building with a single tv hooked up to some strange device, a stove, a refrigerator, and two seperate beds. It even had a fireplace with a rug! She stopped checking out the building to notice Reign was pulling some meat out of the fridge and molding it into patties. Without a word she went and grabbed a pan and began to fry some butter for lubrication. Not a word was spoken through dinner as the two enjoyed themselves. Until-

"Let's watch some tv."

"Oooh. Gorbin said it was amazing and I didn't really get to watch anything on our eventful tour, so pick something out!" Reign smiled so innocently that Jackie had to chuckle. She was honestly surprised how relaxed he was. It was almost like he-

It hit her like a train. Reign had let his guard down. He was actually defenseless for the first time since she met him. He was unfiltered, laughing and playing without a single worry for his life. This was the real him. And it added another wonderful thought to her head, this was why she was getting so enamoured. He was basically naked! To relieve herself of her thoughts she hit the power button for the tv. Reign looked on in childlike wonder as the tv began to broadcast.

"Oh yes!" Right onto a porno scene of a blonde getting nailed by a dark-haired man, with an extra focus on the action. It took less than a second for Jackie to turn the tv off as neither teen moved. Jackie could feel her face practically glowing red as she began to take notice of the scene she was in. She was alone, in a strange dimension, with a dude, the only clothes on them being very form-fitting, and now very wet wetsuits, and now they had inadvertently caught a brief moment of pornography. The room stayed silent as Jackie felt more and more aware of the situation. Worse, she knew she liked it. If not for the fact that she didn't know the guy that well, she probably would have let it play to set a mood. She looked over to see Reign's eyes wide open in shock.

"Y-you okay?"

"... What was that?"

"It, uh, is what we call, porn. It's an adult method of entertainment, usually done by couples looking for, atmosphere, or single people looking to, masturbate."

"... I see. And spying on people is legal?"

"Oh no. No. They are paid actors. Just, not the kind of acting I wanted to see."

"... Well, I will make a note to let the overseers know about that. I don't think they're aware that such channels exist." Jackie could hear the wobble in his throat, but as she tried to look at him her eyes were immediately drawn elsewhere. She quickly turned back before he could see her and responded as calmly as she could.

"M-maybe we should do so, now. And maybe go back out for more surfing. Yeah." Jackie didn't believe herself for a minute but Reign was eager to jump on that train of thought as well.

"G-good idea. I-I'll b-b-be right back." Reign half sprinted out of the room, making sure to grab the plug-in mirror phone as he left. Jackie felt a bit relieved when he did. At least now she could be awkward in peace. She began to breath. In and out. Hold. In and out. Hold. In and-

"What!" Jackie coughed a bit at the surprise as she heard Reign shout. "Okay. We'll prepa- You mean starting now? How did we miss this? Oh, I see. Great. Okay, thank you." His voice grew softer, but closer as the call came to an end. Reign came back inside, and thankfully this time his eyes held Jackie's full attention.

"So, what was that about?"

"Well, a dimensional storm is passing through and all portal traffic is closed down."

"Wait what? How did no one know?"

"Guess Heckapoo and Omnitraxus were able to keep an eye on things before and with them gone, well, these things slip on by. Now we're trapped here for a bit and it's about to storm here as a result. We should be safe, but essentially, we're stranded."

"Alone."

"And apparently they thought we were a young adult couple so a lot of the tv is, is, uh."

"Porn."

"Yup."

"No change in clothes?"

"Just more wetsuits."

"... Got a deck of cards?"

"Wooo!" Tom screamed to the heavens, several others screaming their happiness as well. Star didn't as she was too busy holding the shirt Justin had thrown to the audience tight against her chest.

"Man, I can't believe they pulled that off! A talking story sequence!"

"Eh, could have been more original, but that's my only complaint. They did a good job."

"Mine!" Star growled at a passing fangirl who nearly growled back at her. The other girl was lead away by her rather unhappy beau as Star snuggled up to Marco. The evening had gone perfectly with ample opportunities to make out with her man and despite a certain lingering feeling, she was rather, satisfied.

"Now it's time to go home. You ready to go Star?" Marco smiled hopefully as Star gave him a cold stare.

"You still can't come home to the castle Marco. And if you try, I'll tell Janna and Tom why." Thr boy looked at Star nervously as a crack of lightning went on overhead.

"Wait, you're banned from the castle bro?"

"Uh, long story."

"If you don't think I'm not already aware you're crazy."

"... True. But still. Open a portal for me please." Marco sighed and began to clip the air with his scissors, but no portal formed. "Marco, this isn't going to end well. Just open the portal, and be done with it."

"I'm honestly trying Star." Marco tried a few more times, with just as much success.

"Okay, fine. Tom, mind making a stop at Castle Butterfly?"

"Sure. Get in close."

"But Star-"

"But nothing. This was an honestly good evening until this so, just stop. Please." Marco watched as Janna and Star grabbed hold of Tom.

"Next stop, Castle Butterfly!" They suddenly disappeared in a pillar of fire. Marco sighed and turned away, but soon turned back when he realized the pillar was still there.

"Oh no. Not again." The pillar disappeared as Tom reached into his pocket and produced a mirror phone. Star and Janna looked at him quizzically as he hit a button and the device started beeping. "Great. I silenced it for the concert, but while we were in there a dimensional storm moved into the local network. We're stuck here until it passes. And that could be a little bit."

"Damn it. I had such a great plan for this evening too. Was gonna make sure you went to bed the right way sugar lips." Janna went from upset to flirty, causing Tom to blush.

"Well, we better find a place to stay the night. Marco, your parents still sick?"

"No. They're healthy now, but they'll be home since their vacation was missed."

"That's fine. We can use your bedroom and the guest room to stay the night if they'll have us."

"Good idea Star."

"Obviously you and Tom share your room while Jan and I share mine." Marco, to his credit, didn't even flinch.

"Of course. Now come on. It's a bit of a walk to my house." The group nodded and walked towards Marco's house, the small amount of tension melting away.

"Full house"

"Dang, you got a good poker face." Jackie smiled as she took the cards and shuffled them back into the deck.

"Comes with the territory. If it doesn't help you can't show how you really feel about a situation, and even then you probably shouldn't. But I will say this is a fun game." Reign smiled at Jackie as she dealt more cards, the fireplace flickering nicely to their side. Reign picked up his two cards, a pair of threes, one club and one spade. "I'll call."

"I'll raise you, one ride on the big waves."

"Oh hoh! Big talk to start off without even putting in a single chip! I'll call that with the same." Jackie smiled as she grabbed three cards from the top of the deck and laid them out. Three of diamonds, three of hearts and Jack of spades. Reign was glad he had a good 'poker face' as he already knew he was in an advantage. It was almost impossible to lose. "I'll raise you treating me to one new Earth food item."

"Hmm, that's a weak raise, but I'll call with you treating me to one new food item I've not had. Shouldn't be too hard, I've only ever eaten a few items from Mewni." Reign nodded and Jackie pulled out the next card. Ten of Spades. Reign felt a ping. Something was off. Not to mention there was a hand that could beat his. But he had an advantage. He had a sure thing where even if she had two cards, the odds of the fifth one being an instant win were very low.

"I'll raise you introducing me to what a 'video game' is." Jackie smiled calmly as she responded.

"And I'll call with you having to teach me how to ride a horse." Reign nodded and the final card was flipped. Ace of Spades. Reign felt that ping again. His gut was telling him to not play the odds, but his hand was the second best possible hand. But she could-

"I'll call." Reign realized his error when Jackie smiled deeper.

"I'll raise with you having to take me out here again, but for a whole week." Reign felt his heart drop. He quickly did the math in his head. But even as he did, the prize of losing tempted him quite a bit, until he realized just what she was betting.

"... You don't have anything worth enough for me to call that." Jackie looked at him surprised. "This trip costs about, in Earth money, forty thousand dollars for a full week." Jackie's jaw fell low towards the floor as the amount hit her. "And don't worry about that, the price is because this island is reserved for a party in a few days. One I will not be attending. This is an island for about forty people. And it's rented for five days, so our stay is essentially free due to a bookkeeping error I found."

"Who could afford this?"

"I mean, there are far cheaper places, but the bungalow is here entirely to give us some extra protection in case of, well, this." Reign looked back outside to the raging storm. A wonderful side effect of the dimensional storm was an altered storm pattern, meaning the usually peaceful island now had a massive thunderstorm battering it. To be fair the bungalow was well prepared and even if it lasted a week, they would be safe, with plenty of food and water.

"But still dude, another trip like this would be too expensive."

"If we were to plan for just a day trip and brought our own food and drinks the cost would be about four hundred earth dollars for a full day on a two person beach. A week is just about twenty-five hundred."

"Wow. That's, not so bad actually."

"Yeah. I'll assume that's what you were thinking about. And bet accordingly. That's actually reasonable." Jackie nodded as her smile returned.

"Yeah. I don't think I could afford that one with a year's worth of work!" Reign chuckled as he contemplated, and snapped his fingers.

"Then I'll call with a meal ticket to The Hadrian. It's a restaurant that has some pretty good food, but it's super pricy. Enough that a meal for two is over three hundred dollars. If you want the full week I'll take seven dinners. No need to do them all in a riw of course." Reign looked Jackie in the eyes as she smiled smugly.

"I call on the week." She showed her hand, and Reign just stared on. King of Spades, and Queen of Spades.

"Your kidding." Reign revealed his cards surprising Jackie.

"Dang, I got lucky. That strong of a hand would beat about anything, well, except my royal straight flush!" Jackie giggled as Reign chuckled. He really enjoyed the past hour of poker and really wished he could move onto another topic, but it was getting late to the point where it was time to make arrangements to sleep.

"Well, let's hit the beds and get some sleep. It's getting late and I doubt the storm is letting up anytime soon."

"Yeah dude. But, uh, where are the bathrooms?" Reign stood up and extended a hand to Jackie, one she eagerly took. She stood up and Reign reluctantly let go of her hand, sending a blush to her face as they walked towards a series of three doors. "The side doors are extra bedrooms, locked down for party goers to come, and the center door the bathroom, recently renovated to an Earth-style septic system. I don't believe there is a change of clothes besides another wetsuit though."

"It's fine. I should have brought a change of clothes just in case, but for now I'll just change wetsuits and dry off a bit.."

"Gotcha." Reign immediately walked towards the beds, looking to one before heading to the other one. He looked confused as Jackie entered the bathroom, a light blush forming on her face. She had not planned to spend time with him quite like this, but perhaps this was a blessing. He was an awesome guy from how things seemed. She smiled as she realized at least they could talk. It wasn't that exceedingly late, only about nine-thirty or so. She nodded to herself as she stripped herself of het wetsuit and grabbed a towel. It was immeasurably soft to the touch, and she barely noticed it as she wiped herself down a bit more. She wanted to take an actual shower, but thought to herself that maybe, she would need one in the morning more. In just a few minutes she located the extra wetsuits and placed one on, she exited the bathroom to discover Reign looking at the beds still.

"Is there an issue?"

"Yeah, actually. These beds aren't designed for us." She raised an eyebrow as she got closer and realized why. Before they looked like twin beds, but what she had missed was scale. They were each about half as long as needed! Looking over she spotted the only other large enough piece of furniture, the sofa.

"So is there a way into the other bedrooms?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. I already checked them out and, well, they're empty."

"Oh, what about upstairs?"

"All that's up there is a honeymoon suite, and a, well, honeymoon night maker. Let's just say don't go up there. There isn't even an actual bed. Just, honeymoon items." Jackie nodded, a light blush returning to her face.

"So, they clearly weren't prepared for guests our sized or not in a deep relationship to spend the night, so-" it was at that moment that both Jackie and Reign had an odd feeling. The kind you get when the universe just seems to want you to do something, different. They both looked around as suddenly the fire went out. The room creaked a bit as Reign began to panic. "Oh fuck no." Jackie recoiled as Reign cursed for the first time in her memory, the boy clearly disheveled.

"What's wrong?"

"This is the 'night-life' function. Must have passed ten o'clock. Basically now it's setting a mood. I'm so sor-"

"It's okay Reign." Reign looked over as Jackie began to act differently. Suddenly he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was holding one of her arms across her chest, slightly accentuating her bust as she stood demurely in the now dim light. He focused his entire will power to stare at the wall just behind her as he noticed her blushing face. "I know it's not your fault. But we aren't sleeping in those beds. Let's-" Jackie paused as she reached the sofa and realized even she wasn't fitting on it to sleep. "- just grab the sheets, restart the fire, and wrap ourselves up in front of it. Okay?" Reign lost his focus on the wall as Jackie continued on. He felt a had thump in his chest as he couldn't help but nod.

Without a word the two set to their tasks, Jackie stripping the beds, and Reign restarting the fire. Thankfully it didn't give him any trouble as just two attempts to light it succeeded. Jackie meanwhile grabbed the blankets and some towels to prevent ruining the sheets, and brought then neatly to the fireplace. Then the two moved the couch towards the fire, a surprisingly difficult task that neither conplained about. Jackie took one set of blankets and towels to wrap around herself as Reign draped the other around himself. They said their goodnights and Reign was fast asleep. Jackie however, stayed wide awake for a bit. Merely staring at the boy as he slept. He mumbled lightly in his sleep, but nothing was coherent. While in this state, she unknowingly drifted off, the storm raging outside.

"Come on Bro. You gotta lighten up!" Tom was standing in a corner as Marco walked back and forth in his room, fuming slightly.

"But she's totally acting strange, you have to have noticed it!" Marco wasn't talking loudly, but he was speaking very clearly. It really drove home the point that Star hadn't changed. Marco had.

"Dude, she's seriously just ticked off at you. She's been acting fine besides being upset at you! Besides, you need to keep calm to make the right choices. So far I have no evidence that he's working on some nefarious plot, and it's getting to the point where I am ready to bail on both the plans if you won't act rationally." Marco stopped and stepped towards Tom, a fire burning in his eyes.

"You can't do that Tom. We're in too deep. If we stop now I'm sure Reign will succeed and now I'm worried he's trying to get Jackie on his side. If this dimensional storm is affecting Mewni, they're stuck on a beach alone together. He could be wiping her mind and making her satisfy him or something!" Tom placed a hand on Marco's shoulder, creating some more space while also calming the boy slightly.

"Dude. I've got demonic spells that would have triggered if he did anything to our friends that goes beyond hand holding. If they kiss, or their hands touch each other certain ways, I'll know about it." Marco squinted at Tom, an air of uncertainty hanging around him.

"How reliable are these spells."

"Bro, I've had these spells up for the past two weeks. And trust me, I know even what you're up to." Tom glared at Marco who immediately leapt to defense.

"Dude! There's no need to-"

"Marco. I'm going to be straight with you. If you're going to paint Reign so poorly, maybe you should watch what you're up to. Less you become worse than you think he is." Marco went blank at that. Without even responding he pulled his covers over his head and faced towards his wall. Tom sighed, and got into his sleeping bag. "If you don't. I will tell Star. Eventually. I may be your best friend besides Star, but I'm her friend too. So please. For everyone's sake, becareful." With that, Tom pulled the covers over himself and went to sleep. Marco simply stared at the wall for a bit and contemplated Tom's words before he too went to sleep.

"Dang Star. D cups already? You really need to share with me what you've been eating." Janna bounced Star's body around for a moment before cupping her own, noticing a drastic difference. "I may not dislike my own, but seriously, I don't want to be so far behind with my B's." Star smiled at Janna as she pulled the girl into a friendly hug, their bodies lightly pressing against each other.

"Oh come on Janna. Yours are cute! Besides, large ones mean back pain and earlier sagging. Not to mention some really unwanted stares." Star remembered when she was asked by Eclipsa about her pains and the surprise and jealousy Eclipsa had when she found out the perks of being part septarian.

"Girl, I'd kill for your looks. If those boys from back in the day knew how you'd turn out I can promise you you'd have a throne made of them right now." Janna looked at Star dismissively as Star walked to her bed, unconsciously swaying her hips more than usual.

"That's another problem, plenty of boys approach me only because of these. At least boys approach you for your overall looks!" Janna moved towards the mirror on the wall, admiring herself and Star while the later was doing some stretches.

"Girl. But seriously, we need to talk. I've, got some information on Reign I don't want to share with Marco." Star turned and looked at Janna with a single raised eyebrow.

"Couldn't mention this before I undressed?" Star sat down on her bed as Janna turned around, a playful smirk on her face.

"What can I say? I'm bisexual and was enjoying the show."

"Oh please. I'm bisexual and I controlled myself around you and Jackie plenty enough to talk."

"You do remember last time-"

"We promised never to talk about that Janna. I was curious as I'd only ever seen my mom naked before and didn't know all the differences between mewmans, humans and monsters like me. It was an honest mistake."

"Well, feel free to make it again. I know Jackie was less enthused, but I am an exibithionist." Janna waggled her eyebrows as Star began to worry for Tom.

"Uh, no thanks. But seriously, what's the dirt?"

"Okay, three things. First, Jackie has a crush on Reign. A legitimate crush that he might be returning." Star's eyes shot up as she felt, odd. One part of her was actually giddy. Reign was a nice guy, and Jackie had been lonely lately, but on the other she felt, disappointed. And she really didn't know if it was jealousy, or what.

"Well, let's hope she can keep herself away until we settle this marriage. And hopefully we can without burning that bridge for her."

"Yeah. Now news two, and I'm afraid it's bad news, is I've traced back most of the recent assassins after Reign's life. And they have ties to Mewni." Star recoiled as she let that sink in. "If this got out it could look incredibly bad. It gets worse if you remember Reign talking about begging his mother to forgive your family. It almost looks like you're trying to assassinate him and the rest of his family. And that could turn disastrous." Star plopped down on her bed, her energy feeling completely sapped.

"This is horrible news! I can't imagine much worse."

"Then you don't want to hear my last news about Marco."

"Is it that Marco is cheating on me with Kelly and Higgs?"

"No, it's that Marco is che-" Janna stared in wide-eyed shock at Star. And for once, it was genuine.

"Yeah. I smelled it on him the other day. It's why I didn't fight Dad kicking him out. It started after this whole mess began, and I know it's partially cover and partially an accident. As of now, I know for a fact he's cut off his relationship with Kelly fully now, the girl even confessed to me that she's made out with him recently, but they mutually decided not to even try and get involved right now. So they're done. Higgs, well, if it stays to kissing he'll have his excuse until this arranged marriage is taken care of, but the longer he rides that line, the harder it will be for him to stop. I can't tell him to stop right now though as if this marriage happens anyway, I could be stripping him of his lover. So for now I have to let it go. But if he dares plough another girl, we're done." Janna stared as Star idly ran her hands over her body, pulling here and there to pop a crick. One in particular caused her back to arch as she lightly moaned.

"Star. I might just have to bang you for that."

"While I won't stop you, just know that thanks to my septarians biology, once I start, my engine doesn't cool down very quickly." Star popped one last crick in her tail and crawled under her bed covers.

"You've learned to play the game too well Star. But seriously, don't tempt me again. I can make you scream all night. And I don't think the boys will be able to sleep through our moans." Star blushed as Janna crawled in behind her. Despite her earlier words she merely cuddled up to Star's back and began to try and sleep. It was merely moments later that Janna was snoring as Star stared at her bedroom wall, her thoughts of Reign and Marco stirring within her.

"Mmmm." Jackie stirred lightly, a warm glow of sunset filling her vision as her eyes opened. "What a dream." She thought back to the dream, her and Reign having a picnic while their kids played in a sandbox on Earth. It was a nice dream. And she was surprised that after all that happened, it remained so, pure. She went to raise her arms to stretch and met some resistance. Looking over she broke out in a maddening blush. That night Reign had fallen over and was now holding her in a hug. It wasn't so tight she couldn't get out, but it was enough that she could feel something she didn't want to right then. Especially since her hand was cupping his butt! She maneuvered herself a bit and began to get out of his grasp easily. She was almost free when he retightened his grip, just in time to grab her waist.

"Don't go honey." Jackie blushed heavily as she redoubled her efforts, somehow not waking the boy as she got away, now very awake. Reign grabbed at the sheets and began to sniff a bit, sighing contentedly causing Jackie to blush even harder. "Got you dearest." He practically purred as Jackie bolted for the bathroom, shutting it quietly behind her. She began to breath heavily as she took her first good look inside. It was a large bathroom, one toilet, and a seperate bath and shower, each large enough for two people. She ran to the shower and turned it on full blast cold. She practically dove into it and shivered as the cold water traveled her body, helping to halt her thoughts. Then she heard a ringing sound. She quickly stopped the water and stepped out as she heard Reign answer.

"This is Reign. Hey Star. Yeah, we're fine. We'll scissor to the castle in a little bit. I think Jackie just took a shower. Nah, I've gotta do some of the checkout procedures, as well as a relatively minor complaint, but other than that, we're good. Talk to Jackie? I'll ask, but I don't-" Jackie walked through the door, pretending to have just finished drying off. She was glad all the wetsuits inside the bathroom were the same design.

"That Star?"

"Yeah. Hey Star, here ya go." Reign immediately handed off the mirrorphone, making sure to keep the blanket over himself much to Jackie's relief. She walked past him and heard him nearly bolt towards the bathroom. She giggled a bit as she looked to the phone. Star was before her wall mirror at the Diaz's, wearing a long black dress.

"What up girl."

"What up yourself. So you bag yourself some fun last night?" Star gave Jackie a smug grin as Jackie blushed again.

"I just got out of a cold shower trying not to imagine that. It's still to early to consider-"

"Jackie, I was joking. Do, you really have a crush on him?" Jackie blabbered for a second before groaning. She listened and heard the shower gowing, and figured she probably had a few mibutes before she'd need to worry about Reign hearing anything.

"Yeah. Doesn't help that with how last night went I was just a few steps shy of 'graduating'. Luckily he didn't try to take advantage of it. But, well, wetsuits give a good view." Star again felt conflicted. On one hand, her friend found someone to go for. On the other, it might be a reverse of when Marco asked out Jackie to begin with.

"That's, fun. Like what you saw?" Star waggled her eyebrows as Jackie fought the urge to end the phone call.

"Please Star. Let's not talk about it."

"For now, sure. But, I do want to talk about it. Especially because if you want him, I want to support that relationship." Star gave a warm smile and Jackie returned it.

"Thanks Star, but beyond that, what's up?"

"Just wanted to check in on you guys. Two teens trapped alone on a beach can be pretty, exciting."

"Don't worry. Again, nothing happened besides a local storm caused by to the dimensional storm. It was pretty severe. Probably nearly Hurricane strength for a bit."

"Dang. You must have been near the center. It apparently did minor damage to Mewni, but nothing that can't be fixed quickly. In the meantime, make sure when you get here to get changed. I'm afraid wearing that around the boys would probably distract them."

"And I feel you not wearing underwear at all does it worse." The two girls laughed a bit before Star interjected.

"It's good to see you back to normal Jackie."

"It's good to feel normal. And as soon as we can, we'll head on over. I'll tell you all about the trip tonight if it's girls only."

"Well, Marco is definitely still not allowed inside, Tom has to get back home and deal with some of the damages, and I wasn't planning on giving Reign a good show, so girls only should be easy." Jackie nodded and she heard the shower turn off.

"Okay, sounds like Reign's done in the shower, I'll talk to you when we get back, alright?"

"You'll beat me there. I was asked to take care of an incident in one of the villages near the Monster Temple. Seems to be some strange activity there recently and mom thinks even me just showing up will put them at ease. Though, some of the reports might just be them detecting the storm before it arrived." Jackie smiled and nodded. The two girls exchanged goodbyes as Reign exited the bathroom. Jackie had to pull her eyes away as she noticed Reign's torso was uncovered, and he was wearing a towel.

"Dude!"

"It's okay. My wetsuit is a two piece that connects in the middle. I've got the bottoms on. But unlike yours mine isn't drying out quickly. I promise that's all." She turned back and he removed the towel. As he had said, his wetsuit trousers were still on. She sighed in relief as she passed his phone back to him, and he placed it in a pocket she didn't even know he had.

"Could have warned me beforehand. Thought you were going to show yourself off for a second there." The lighthearted message sent a wave of guilt through Reign.

"Sorry. I didn't think. Anyway, you wanna grab our boards and head out?"

"Yeah. As fun as it's been surfing, I'm about ready to go."

"Wow." Star and Janna looked at Jackie in stunned silence as she finished her tale. The two looking back and forth as they realized just how, heated, things had really gotten.

"So you didn't cop a feel or anything while you had your hand on him?"

"Really Janna?"

"I mean, come on. First you accidently see some good porn, then you have a hand on him? Surely you were curious?"

"No Janna. I didn't feel him up like some creeper."

"Lame. Guess you're chance expired for now. Guess I'll be the first to lose their v-card."

"It's not a race Janna. Especially for me. I may be interested, but once my cycles start as a Septarian, well, I better have this mess sorted or I'm going to have Reign's kid. Almost for certain."

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad."

"Yes, it can. Many septarian females go so lustful they'll be with anything. Even creatures so large it kills them." Janna and Jackie shared a look.

"And, being half septarian means?"

"We don't know. Maybe I'll have weaker urges. Maybe my mewberty will get involved and if that's the case he and Marco could be in danger. We simply don't know and with everything going on, well, I don't want to cause problems with Jackie's newfound crush."

"I appreciate it Star, but we'll get through this. We're too tough to be kept down."

"Thanks Jackie."

"Yeah. I don't want my best gal pals to falter now. So, here's a legit question. What happens if mewberty chooses to take both Reign and Marco?"

"I'm sure you know exac-"

"I mean in the grander scheme."

"Oh. Well, if I get that far in mewberty I'll probably end up falling for them both. It's why after this I can't really push Marco away even if he continues to act ridiculous. I can't risk not loving him more than Reign. Cause if Reign and Jackie become a couple and I want Reign more, well, girls aren't competitors to the animal instinct. They're, part of the package." Jackie's eyes widened considerably.

"You mean if you want Reign and you find Jackie dating him, you'll do them both?"

"With how much I like Jackie? It's a possibility. Thankfully it's not the likely scenario. It's only happened twice in Butterfly history. And both were relatively early on. So it's been several hundred years, and involved not knowing anything about the strong urges that cone around."

"Still, it's, kinda crazy that something like that could happen."

"Yeah. And while he's not aware, dad likely also saw this scenario since I'll be hyper-fertile my first cycle and odds are a condom won't be used. I'll definitely get pregnant when it happens and the signs are already showing."

"... What signs?"

"... Me and those of the same gender near me all get an, interest boost for starters. Then males with interest in me and close proximity to me become more, open to me and, hyper-protective.. Reign hasn't been around me long enough that he's affected, but I'm sure it's not helping Marco."

"So sending him away was the only logical choice to know of he's just reacting due to your, condition."

"Yeah. But the symptoms only mean within the next year. I could go berserk tomorrow, or I could go berserk at the ball, or even this wedding should it happen. We don't know. At least for now. Definitive signs show up about a week prior."

"And I thought human girls had it rough. Man, boys get it easy."

"Thanks to a magic spell, I can safely say that's not true. I got to be Marco for a few days and I was popping boners thinking about ice cream." Janna and Jackie looked to Star in surprise.

"And that's worse? We have periods girl!"

"Yeah, and they've got a highly visible, uncontrollable thing in their pants that can get turned on by peeing and two fleshy orbs that touching wrong causes excrusiating pain. I feel positive in saying that pain can only be beaten by a woman once every nine months."

"Well, learn something new- wait. You've seen Marco naked then?"

"Yeah?"

"Was it when I was still dating him?"

"No. It was while we were on Mewni. Gotta say, it was really awkward to pop a boner while looking at mom and getting scolded." Jackie and Janna shared a glance and looked at Star.

"But, we definitely get the short end of the stick."

"Not really. We can get help and hide our embarrassing symptoms most of the time. Guys are expected to deal with it by themselves. Basically, double standards are bullshit and we should just help each other instead of saying we got it worse."

"You know, you're right. But that won't change in our generation. We just gotta work on it for the future."

"Yeah, Janna's right. It's a large social shift and it'll take time. But we got sidetracked. The big thing I need to be sure of Star, is if you have any feelings for Reign romantically." Janna shook her head and stared at Jackie.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I don't want a repeat of Marco. Regardless I'm waiting until this whole mess ends with the wedding, but I'm definitely interested. But if this all ends and-"

"Jackie, I want Marco. Despite all that's happened I love Marco. I like Reign, but I'm not going to give up on Marco until I have to. I'm sure we can work through this. He just needs to be honest and get over his jealousy. I'm positive Reign and his family have the arrangement covered."

"Yeah, the guy needs to stop doubling down and just, see the big picture. Reign clearly feels the same about this as both of you, and while he likes both of you girls, he is interested in Jackie a bit more. The best case scenario is literally the same no matter who you ask. Sure there may be a plot in play, but I don't think it's Reign's."

"Yeah. He only started this to protect me-" Star slapped a hand over her mouth as Jackie and Janna stared in disbelief.

"Come again?"

"He what?" Star watched Janna reach for her phone and leapt across the room to grab her hand.

"Wait! Let me explain. He's still not the bad guy."

"You just said he started all this!"

"Not exactly. He shifted it from a far worse fate."

"Like what?"

"Like me marrying a forty-six year old man!" Janna released her phone as she let Star pick it up to show she was now going to listen. "Thank you." Star let go and got up, walking to her bed and sitting on it and patting it. Jackie and Janna walked over and sat down as well, both very keen to hear what had transpired. "So, basically after Etheria and some other agents got their council to actively seek this marriage they had to decide who got me. They immediately threw out Gorbin, and went to Torro. Reign got him with Dutchess Rayes' daughter and then they skipped Reign for his uncle Duke Lor. Reign had to convince them to pick him over Duke Lor, or I'd be married in a few weeks instead of about a year." Jackie and Janna shared a look as Janna began to get curious.

"Why skip Reign?"

"Well no one likes him and-"

"Exactly. Giving away Reign is a triple whammy. He's guaranteed last in line, you forge an alliance with a strong nation by blood without giving him power, and they can redistribute assassins to easier targets than a boy who's evaded everything for over a decade with cunning and luck. Not to mention they were willing to allow him in anyway with a long wedding time when Lor had a short one, but are this easily willing to give up on it entirely? Something stinks and I think we are all being played as puppets."

"Holy shit."

"Jackie?!"

"Sorry, but she's right Star. That's fishy as hell. It's almost like they never wanted the wedding to begin with. But what would they want?" Janna again spoke up, her mind now moving into her favorite territory, mystery.

"Well, I got a few options. First the best case, they wanted to force Babs and Moon to make up and reestablish their friendship. Second, they were aware the entire time, but didn't do enough leg work before the Overtures caught wind and didn't have a leg to stand on. That's all I got right this second."

"Then I'm sorry Janna, you only got one. There's no way they didn't have a leg to stand on. Duke Lor due to age was removed? I've read history. Shastican was twenty years Eclipsa's senior. And if you dig, it's not uncommon for Mewni Princesses to get married to much older men. Heck, for thirty straight queens each got married a year after their wand ceremonies and had their first kids when they were sixteen. Each married a man more than eight years older than them. In one case, over thirty. Sorry, but I'll put forth a third option. Etheria or Lor promised them something but demanded they only take up time and keep our attention. She did point out everything to them without a word to anyone in Mewni after all."

"Shit, that's good. You're getting good at this Jackie."

"Thanks Jan, but I've been thinking about it for a while. Now I believe it's Etheria and Lor who are plotting."

"But, why use us?"

"Star, you're a multi-dimensional hero. He's a prince who has been using his position for years for monsters and half-monsters. It's an easy pick. Odds are they wanted Reign to put himself forward to make it more difficult, or even impossible to gain the throne. It's possible to use the fact that he put himself forward and now no one wants the wedding to strip him of power. Heck, it could just be a ploy to tie us all up because someone got close to something and now they have hundreds of hands reaching for the cookie of whatever their goal is."

"Wow. You really did think this through. It makes sense, this really is a big win for them, but what does Etheria get, and if Lor is so low on succession that even Petunia is above him, does that mean their entire family might be in danger?"

"Janna, my family is in danger too. If Etheria is really going for this, then her plan might be to get herself and Lor to be in positions of power, a mutually beneficial transaction."

"Oh no. This is getting bad. I don't know if I'm ready to balance all of this. I can't stop assassins, research into Reign, watch Etheria, find out about Lor, and keep up a relationship with Tom. Truth be told I'm past what I really can do by myself and Tom seems to be working on a secret project. I don't even know what it is!"

"Wow. We might actually be in over our heads if Tom can hide something from Janna."

"We really are. And this individual, or this group, might be behind Marco's growing paranoia by feeding into his jealousy." Star brought her hand to her chin as she thought for a moment, sheer determination practically radiating from her as she thought of what may happen in the future. "Jackie, Janna. I've got only three people to ask for help. First is Marco." Janna shook her head.

"No, he'll be a detriment right now. We need to keep him informed, but I think his jealousy might get in the way right now."

"Then there's Buff Frog. He should be dependable." Janna clicked her tongue.

"Yes, but he has to stay here. He's Captain of the Guard and I doubt he can leave his post for long." Jackie's eyes widened as she realized who person three was.

"Want me to ask Reign his advice?"

"Heh. You got number three right Jackie. He seems to be the one with the best ideas of what's going on, and he's experienced with plots. Not to mention he's from the other nation so he's got more leads over there. And it's an excuse for you to spend some more quality time with him, so win-win!" Star smiled brightly, causing Jackie to lightly blush as she returned the smile.

"Thanks Star. I'll get with him in the afternoon tomorrow. He and your parents are discussing more about classifications of monsters in the morning."

"Sounds good Jackie. Anything else you girls want to add?"

"When this is all done and over. I'm taking a vacation. Preferably somewhere with Tom." Janna smiled as Star and Jackie shared a glance.

"Well, it's getting late. You girls wanna sleepover orâ ?"

"I'm good Star. Sort of want to sleep in my own bed."

"Yeah. After everything that happened, I sort of just want to be alone for a bit. Have some quality 'me' time."

"I'm too tired to joke about it. Good night girls." Janna waved and walked out, leaving Jackie and Star alone.

"Well, have a good evening Star. Hopefully in one month's time, we'll have this solved and both have the man we are fallen for." Star smiled, giddy that maybe everything was going to end just how it should. For once, confidence finding itself seated deep within her that maybe, the disaster was a blessing in disguise.

"Yeah. Good night Jackie." Star smiled deeper and waved as Jackie left. She barely quieted a giggle as she stood up and began to undress. In moments she was in her bed, curled up with her happy thoughts guiding her to a wonderful dream. A triple wedding for her and her two friends.

"So, do we have a deal, boy?"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But it's either trust me, or those Reign has manipulated. By now Jackie is under his thrall, probably to make her a concubine, and has Star under a delusion that he wants the wedding to end. You could go off on your own, but then you won't have our assistance."

"But what do you gain out of this?"

"I don't want Mewni to become a puppet. It's not well known but each marriage attempt has been to pupitize us. In other words, they're trying to make it seem like they're on your side, when really, you're being played as a fool."

"I knew it. Okay. You got a deal. It goes with my plan nicely so let's do this. In one month, we'll reveal the truth." The phone flipped closed as the one holding it smiled.

"He's in."

"A bit of a fool. But it works for us. The family has lightened it's eye on me considerably so soon I'll be in my best position yet."

"And while Moon hasn't taken her eye off me, I'm still able to dance around her spies. No one will suspect a thing. Right until the moment we strike." The woman who held the mirror phone grabbed a glass with a red liquid in it and lifted it into the air. "For us." Three more glasses were raised in the darkness, and three voices spoke in unison.

"For us."

**A/N****Well, that's another chapter down as the conspiracy thickens, Jackie wants that Reign, and things are looking nice for our couples. But a storm is brewing and what it brings is an angry Marco here to protect his precious Star. What will happen next? I know, and you'll have to find out next chapter, on Dragon ball- I mean, Monstar Engagement!****As a side note, I am wondering if anyone is interested in beta reading this story. I feel like I'm rushing some of the story in places, especially this chapter. I really almost put Jackie in a, compromising situation better fit in a harem anime. If you're interested send me a pm!**


	8. Monstar Set-up

Star stood in her room, with Jackie by her side as the two waited. For the past minute they had hears voices outside the room, two voices trying to be polite as they calmly argued who was to go first. But Star wasn't that patient. She didn't know who was going to come around the corner and see the strange display, and what questions would be asked. She waved her hand and her door opened, a frog monster and Reign being pulled in by Star's magic before the door was closed and summarily locked.

"Next time, one of you just bite the bullet and accept the kindness of the other, please?"

"One cannot be too careful little one. I do not know if prince will do anything suspicious."

"And I can't say for certain that the guard captain won't do the same. But thanks to you, that's irrelevant."

"Yes."

"Quite." Star stared at the two of them before whipping out her phone and switching to a picture she took just a year prior, causing the frog monster to grow curious while Reign's eyes practically sparkled.

"Why you show picture of my babies?"

"You're those beautiful babies dad?"

"Beautiful?" Reign responded with a large smile on his face. His guard lowered significantly.

"Yeah, I've got a soft spot for frog babies. Before I came I stopped by Ampha's and got a few pictures of her babies." Reign reached into his pocket and retrieved a mirrorphone, and quickly scrolled to a picture of Ampha and her babies.

"Aww! They're adorable. Don't even have their legs yet! And that sheen! They're clearly well taken care of."

"Yeah. Ampha has a knack for kids. Saved my life when I was young and I've wanted to repay her for that ever since. Thinking I'll help her get them into this academy that's for accelerated learners. Seems a good fit since they'll grow fast."

"You mean Kresha's?" Reign nodded to Star. "Isn't Kresha's in another dimension?"

"Yes, but they have a guard with scissors on hand to allow kids to commute. It's why the admission is so expensive, but it's worth it." The frog monster let his face droop, sadness now pouring out of him.

"I would have sent my own if I had known that. But now is too late."

"Not really. They're built for fast learners and have programs for those who are joining in late to not feel awkward. As long as your kids want to learn, they'll enjoy it there. Though like you said, it can be expensive, but the programs allow for anyone to join at virtually any age." The frog monster looked saddened, causing Star to speak up.

"Well, we do have programs to help pay for the education of our guard's children. It would knock out like, ninety percent of admission cost." Reign looked at Star, arching an eyebrow.

"Do, you know how much a single child's admission is for Kresha's?"

"In Mewnian it's about six hundred coins a year per person." Reign felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head.

"Well, that's a generous program! If you want I can introduce you to the admissions office later Mr?"

"Yvgeny Bulgolyubov. Most call me Buff Frog."

"Well sir Frog, I'll send a recommendation when we are done here. I attended for a little while and while it's tough, your kids will learn a lot. And it's varied, so they can study into their passions, not just some standardized stuff."

"Thank you young prince." Star smiled as the two shook hands. Jackie took the moment to get next to Star and whisper to her.

"You knew just how to get them to side with one another?"

"Call it a hunch. Now gentlemen." Buff Frog and Reign turned towards Star, both giving her their full attention. "I've called you here for a reason."

"Uh, this have to do with, the portal incident?"

"No, not really, but something you said made us realize something, and now I'm worried. Everything seems to have been planned to cause something and then to buy time. From what it sounds, the council isn't actually that keen to force a wedding and everything just seems to happen so that everything is nearing conclusion with surprisingly little trade off."

"Hmmm. I didn't see that. But it does prove my thoughts that a third party is behind this."

"That's right Reign. We think this group is multinational and has an agenda and plan we can't see yet."

"This is disturbing. But who are they using?"

"Well, I for one believe they are manipulating Marco, and by extension Tom. Marco's always had a touch of jealousy regarding me and to his core he's a safe kid. Now I'm in danger in his eyes and with his jealousy, I doubt he can actually see straight right now."

"This is really bad then. If they're manipulating Marco, then he's in terrible danger. Pawns are disposable unless you can promote them, but he's not going to get that. He's too, attached."

"Agreed. Marco boy is strong, but Star would be his greatest weakness. We need to figure out who's behind this." Reign raised a single finger.

"I've got two guesses."

"Who?" The room asked as Reign began to walk in circles.

"Etheria Butterfly and Lor Overture. The two of them have motive and ability to get this going and Etheria tipped her hand earlier with the original move to get this underway."

"Yes Reign boy. But who is this 'Lor' character?"

"A forty-six year old man who was originally fighting to be Star's husband. He's a widower without an heir and he's got a record for being, well, ambitious. He's only alive now because the public can't be made aware of some of his greatest crimes for their sake."

"Sounds like we need to talk to him."

"We'd never talk privately. And at this point I bet some of his followers are among his watchers, so that could end up being a trap. His ability, if you'll remember is 'Make-up' where he can make anyone look like someone else."

"Yeah dude, that's not good. He might not even be who's under watch."

"At the very least he's been there. He's used his abilities rather leniently lately and now I know why. He's building up an alibi. If we only knew who they were working with, we'd have a solid start."

"Then who else might be involved?"

"Well, since it hasn't leaked the main group must be small, and it must be recent. Any enemies who want to see Star gone are high possibilities. Mina, Ludo, the MHC, etc."

"But, the MHC was destroyed. And Mina is reformed!"

"You thought you were destroying magic, right? Who knows what really happened to them. As for Mina, we can't know for sure Star. The problem is, what do we do about it?" To Reign's surprise, Jackie answered, a tight smile on her lips.

"Well, right now we need answers, and our best bet are spies."

"But who would our spies be?" Again, Jackie answered, moving a little towards Reign who stopped pacing.

"That's why I asked Buff Frog. His loyalties have always been questioned by people like Etheria, and planting the right words in the right places could get him anywhere."

"But, we don't have a clue as to their goal. Maybe they don't want to destroy Star, but gain power and favor by allying with another strong nation?" Star snapped her clawed fingers.

"Shit. That's true. Okay, then we have to, uh." Star mumbled a moment before groaning. "We're at square one."

"Then we'll have to keep our eyes and ears out and figure out who's behind this, and why."

"But what if they succeed?"

"It's a risk we have to take. If we don't, we might make it worse."

"Boy is right. We need to be careful. I'll assign a few of my best to watching Etheria, what about you Reign?"

"I can contact Torro. His ability lets him see through disguises so he's our best bet. But that's if he isn't a co-conspirator. To be honest, I'm beginning to doubt my family doesn't have a hand in this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, mom was clearly against the arrangement, but the pushback from the rest of the family took a surprising amount of time for how strongly they ended up helping me. If they had jumped on it quicker, maybe this situation could have been avoided. But that's a hypothetical that doesn't matter. Right now we have some issues to take care of. And sadly, I think we need to keep this low-key. Only us, Star's parents, and maybe my mom should know, but I'm fine with leaving my mom out on this one."

"Yeah, let's keep the list short. I'll tell Marco-"

"Star, we can't. If he's being manipulated we can't afford to give our foes the heads up. We must keep this simple." Star looked to Jackie, almost looking like her heart was ripped out of her chest.

"But what if this drives Marco even further into their plan?"

"Well, it'll all be moot if we get rid of the wedding and announce your engagement to Marco. That'll be the final nail in the coffin and settle things. Then hopefully we can get this all behind us."

"Wait, you're planning to announce Marco and I as getting married?"

"It's a backup plan. So long as they don't specifically name anyone, we can put Marco in a place to be granted the privilege. At worst I'll take some heat, but with the upcoming ball once the announcement is made, that's it. We win."

"Then wouldn't it be better to just avoid digging a hole right now and just, focus on surviving instead of finding out who's up to what?"

"Not so Earth Girl. They likely believe we know nothing of who's involved, so we need to strike before iron grows cold."

"Yeah, what Mr. Yvgeny said. We can't wait around and let them control everything. I'll do what I can behind the scenes, but likely I'll be passive so as to avoid tipping off Lor that I'm on to him."

"Great. And I'll try and soothe Marco and bring him towards a neutral point. Last thing we need is him as an enemy."

"And I'll inform mom and dad. The sooner we have dependable allies the better, and heck, maybe Eclipsa and Globgor can help."

"Finally, I keep eye on Etheria. She won't suspect a thing."

"Yeah, still can't believe you were able to remain so well hidden even with my hearing back when I first went to Earth."

"Indeed. I surprised even myself in those days. Now let's hurry. If we tarry too long, we'll give up the game." The group nodded and both Buff Frog and Jackie departed in an attempt to avoid suspicion. Both pretending to be in a huff.

"... Well, your captain seems nice."

"Yeah. He's a close friend of my dad's from the war. He's probably one of the most competent people in the castle."

"I can tell. Unfortunately most of your staff seems, distracted."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your maids only have one thing on their mind for starters."

"You're kidding?"

"I've seen four getting some just recently and have had several propositions. It's, annoying to know it's because I'm a foreign prince." Star put a hand on his shoulder as she smiled warmly at him.

"At least I heard your date went well." Reign went red as a tomato, but to Star's surprise, he kept his poker face beyond that.

"D-date?" Well, mostly kept it.

"Well, yeah. With Jackie. You, are interested right?" Reign looked around for a moment, his ears bouncing a bit and soon Star's did as well. Not a sight, sound, or smell was out of place.

"I, sort of am? It's annoying to keep my distance just in case, but she reminds me of, another girl."

"Lady Bell?" Star expected him to get defensive or offended, but instead he just, smiled.

"Yeah. She was the second girl I ever really took a liking to. She was a lot like you, which really, Jackie is too."

"Oh come on. We aren't that similar."

"Oh? You're both active and caring girls who want nothing more than to make everyone happy. You both will fight tooth and nail for those who you care about. She may not be a warrior, physically or mentally, but she's a fighter. And I like that about both of you. I feel like, if you two switched places, I would discuss this with her about you. The thing is, I haven't had a chance to really get to know you, and now, I think I won't get that chance. But it's fine. You've already found your love, right?" Star happily nodded. "Then I won't steal you from him. I promise you Star, I will do what it takes, to see you at your happiest." Star felt a thump in her chest at his words. She knew it was simply a small crush, compared to how she felt with Marco, it was nothing, but it wasn't bad.

"And I promise that when it's all over, we can be friends, Reign." She smiled as she extended her claw, her tail lightly moving behind her in a small sway. Reign didn't hesitate a moment to clasp her hand with both of his and shake it. The two shared a smile then Reign let go and turned away.

"I'll hold you to it Star. Now, I'm off to talk with Torro. Hopefully he's available and I can get some eyes on Lor." Star nodded and Reign walked out. A moment later and Star magically closed the door. But she felt weird. Not having Marco around at all was starting to gripe on her. She turned towards her mirror and commanded.

"Call. Marco." The mirror instantly displayed a heartbreaking message. "I'm, blocked?" She reached into her top and pulled out her pocket phone. "Call. Marco" and a moment later, it rang. Her heart felt much better as it rang, until a familiar voice picked up.

"Sorry Star, Marco's taking a shower. He wanted to talk to you when he got out though. How you been?"

"Just, fine Kelly. How've you been?"

"Well since you stole Marco from me?" Star almost blurted out a small apology, but then she noticed the small smile Kelly had. "Honestly, I've improved. Got a new boyfriend who isn't Tad, and things are going well. And before you worry, Marco and I sparred with swords. No funny business."

"I trust you to that Kelly. Otherwise we'd really learn which of us was the better fighter!" Star giggled as did Kelly. "But seriously, I didn't expect to hear your voice when I called. Marco come over often?"

"Only when he needs to work out some stress. Not that I'm complaining. My only real sparring partner here is Jorb and a girl wants variety sometimes, ya know?"

"Hey Kelly, thanks again for letting me use your shower." Star watched in the background as Marco entered the scene, fully dressed with a towel on his head.

"No problem Marco. You got a call from Star-"

"I, don't want to talk to her right now. No offense to her, just, don't want to say something stupid and upset her unnecessarily. I have been a bit, out of it lately. Mind telling her I'll call back in a bit?"

"Well, I'm on the line with her sooo~." Star giggled as Marco looked at the phone in a deep blush.

"Oh man."

"It's okay Marco. I just, wanted to check up on you. I really want my man back in my life, and I needed to talk to you, even if for a moment." Kelly backed away, signaling she'd give them space as Marco held up a hand to stop her.

"That's fine, just, got a bounty to take care of soon. Figured I'd get some money to, take you on another date when this is all over. A long, worry free date. Okay?" Star smiled deeply, this was her Marco.

"Yeah. And, I'm glad you're back to normal. Just, be careful out there. The marriage is pretty much not going to happen and I'd hate to do all this for my beloved to wind up dead in a ditch somewhere." Marco laughed as Kelly and Star giggled.

"Don't worry. It's small time work. No real risk involved, and I'll have Kelly, Jorb, and her boyfriend with me. It'll be easy. Try not to work too hard Star!" The couple waved to each other as the feed ended. Immediately Star felt her smile disappear.

"Marco, I know you too well. You hid something from me. I know you aren't cheating, and I know you aren't fielding your options." Star stared out her window, it was approaching lunch time as the sun reached high into the sky. "Marco, please, don't work for them."

"Do you think she knows?"

"No, and she can't. I know Reign's up to something, but I also know They can't be trusted. That's why I need you and Tom. You in?"

"Yeah, both on this bounty, and that plan. Star's my friend too ya know." The pair nodded to one another and left, a day of money making ahead of them.

"Well, it certainly has been an eventful week. Who knew Star would learn to love dancing so much?" Toffee stood besides Moon, waiting for Reign and Star to come out of the castle.

"Indeed. Learning all those waltz variations, we barely got her to learn how to dance the basics, and we tried for over a year!"

"Maybe, Reign coming back to her was a blessing. I know how you feel about that day, but look how he lights up her world. If things had been different-"

"If I hadn't lost my head, she'd probably be happily married to him by now."

"Maybe. He's a good lad. Good head, good heart, and definitely good senses."

"You forgot he's easy on the eyes. It's clear he's been working hard on himself these past years, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But at the very least, we've gained a lot from this. And it worries me. Especially with what we found out."

"Yes. The disappearance of Duke Lor and Etheria is big. I wish I knew when this all started, but we probably won't know until we capture them."

"Indeed. And, I'm glad we didn't hide this from them. Our little girl has grown up a lot and to be honest, I'd feel comfortable leaving her in charge."

"And if Marco has really started to get his act together, then we're in a fine position when it comes time to pass on the crowns."

"Yes. I'm just, so proud of my daughter right now." Toffee smiled at Moon as he gripped her hand tightly for a moment. The two stood there, basking in the presence of the other, until finally, the doors to the castle opened.

"Sorry for being late. Ran into a jester a pie and- well, I think it was a repeat of the day we first met."

"Yeah. Pretty much the same conclusion too."

"Huh. Small multiverse. Anyway, so, we're here."

"We see that. Now Reign, I'm afraid this will probably be the last meeting between you and Star for a while. Is there anything you need?"

"No Queen Moon. I have everything I need." Reign produced from his coat pocket the family book, and quickly put it away. "Now, before the carriage comes I'd like to say something to you. And that is 'Thank you'. Thank you for always being so open minded, and thank you for the lovely time."

"It was a pleasure. And don't worry, I'm sure we'll see each other again before the ball. Your mother and I have a lot of catching up to do." Moon and Reign shared a smile as the two bowed to one another. Star smiled and was surprised as Reign turned to Toffee.

"My father asked me to relay a message last night before I left. He'd like some advice on how to take care of the Elusian Desert Dwellers and he heard you had a few ties."

"Yes, I'd be happy to. The Elusians tend to be cold to most so hopefully I can be of help." Reign nodded as he turned to Star, bowing almost immediately.

"And to you, thank you for showing me around Mewni. I do hope you and Marco make up fully. I'd love to hear further tales of your exploits with him at the ball." Star smiled and curtsied back at him.

"Indeed Reign. I am sure you have nothing to worry about." The two shared a smile and after a brief moment, a portal opened up and the same carriage from the previous week came on by. In a matter of moments Reign was gone.

"And soon this farce will be over. I just hope our friendships remain even beyond it."

"As do I mom."

"Indeed. We could use more friends like them. Especially as we move towards a multiverse ruled by those who don't know the horrors of war." The Royal trio remained silent as the words sunk in. Moments later they disappeared back into the castle, a new day on the horizon.

"Star!"

"Marco!" The two lovers gripped each other in a deep hug. Toffee watched unamused as the boy returned. He hoped Marco had truly let go of his anger, suspicion was caution, but action without proof would only be bad. But as the boy let go of Star, he noticed the boy did seem different. He seemed more, relaxed. He walked up as the two began to walk towards the castle, stopping the budding conversation.

"Enjoy your time away?"

"Yeah, actually. Went and did some bounty hunting and just, relaxed. Finally realized a few days ago that I was starting to rush into things again. Thanks, for stopping me." Toffee smiled gently at the boy, he was being genuine.

"Of course my boy. You've come a long way from that overly cautious boy you once were and now we have to worry about you being the overly active one. I must say, I'm proud you took the chance to actually see why I sent you away."

"Yeah. At first I was just angry, then I thought it was so I could investigate, then I realized that couldn't be it, so I decided to take care of some stuff. Ran into Kelly and took down a few bounties to take Star on a, long, vacation." The look in his eyes betrayed what he really wanted to say, but Toffee was proud of his conviction to keeping things low-key.

"Excellent. Well, I've got nothing on the knight front for today, and Reign left not all that long ago, so please, take some time with Star. I'll need you for something tomorrow, but that can wait."

"Thank you your majesty."

"No problem my boy. Now, I must be off. As competent as Moon can be you never know how daft her support can be sometimes." Marco bowed slightly as Toffee left, Star smiling ear to ear during the whole conversation.

"I'm so glad we're back to being somewhat normal around here. Now then knight, I think it's time we do what we do best. Adventure!" Marco smiled as he pulled out his scissors.

"Got any ideas?"

"Oh yeah. Hand me them bad boys." Marco handed over his scissors and Star cut a portal. The two summarily disappearing beyond the vortex.

"Okay Tom, you can do this." Tom looked at the door to a mansion, it wasn't what he thought it would be, a long, blocky building built on a hill. It did not feel like a noble's home. Especially one of the most powerful families in Gond, the Helions.

The family was even known by the underworld as one filled with strong-willed individuals who were well known for their contributions. One legend had them leading an army to help the Lucitor's when they were invaded by the Grell kingdom. Their army of ten thousand easily held off the Grell army of one hundred thousand. The figures were terrifying, and the tactics, well, he was amazed at their ingenuity. They cut ties just a few years later, stating differences in opinions, which turned out to be the Underworld's more relaxed opinion on monsters. And being half-monster really put a worry in the heart of him.

"Greetings Prince Lucitor." Tom shook his head as he realized he had been greeted at the door by a servant. While lost in thought he had approached and knocked on the door without even realizing it.

"Greetings. I'm here to meet with the master of the family?"

"I'm afraid he is away at this time. He left just yesterday to attend to his duties in the capital. The second head of the family however, is present and willing to meet with you your highness." Tom nodded, feeling a little peeved that after all this, the man with all the answers wouldn't be here.

"That's fine. I'm sure we'll have plenty to discuss." The maid finally stood up straight, and Tom felt the lump in his throat deepen. The maid had a large scar across her face, an injury that looks like it should have been fatal. It stretched at an angle across her face from above her right eye, until whatever blade it was left off her cheek on the bottom left, her nose clearly almost cleaved off.

"Then follow me your highness." The maid turned and walked inside, as did Tom. Behind him the door closed as a butler closed it. But the maid was moving fast and he didn't have time to study him. But what he did see was astounding. The house was built into the hill itself. The first thing he spotted was a large shaft heading straight down, ringed by a spiral staircase. Next was the decor. All around him were paintings and works of art, but even he could tell at a glance they were all replicas.

They walked briskly towards the spiral and the decor didn't change a bit. But he noticed another thing, the place was absolutely devoid of servants. Sure there were a few here and there, but these numbers were too low. Then as he reached the staircase proper, he realized why. The place was over fifteen stories deep! Deep below he could see a flurry of activity as maids, butlers, and soldiers moved around. He was awestruck as they began to go down. Starting on the second floor everything changed. The decor was gone and he finally realized what this place was, a citadel. It was built for the soul purpose of defense, and the entryway was stashed with non-valuables in case of an invasion. Down and down they went, not a single change until they reached the bottom. The seventeenth floor.

Just like the first floor there was art and aesthetics everywhere, but unlike the first, it was real. The entire hallway was filled with paintings depicting various battles, including one from the very war alongside his ancestors. Then the maid stopped before an inconspicuous door. She opened it, bowed to someone inside, then stepped aside.

"You'll find the second master inside your highness. She is expecting you."

"Thank you missâ ?"

"I am merely a maid your highness, I won't sully your memory with my worthless name." Tom's eyes widened as she continued to bow. Finally he nodded and walked inside, doing his best to hide his now growing fears. Just who was he about to meet? Then he saw her. The individual was a tall woman, very light curves and wearing a revealing black dress. He noticed she seemed, uninterested as he entered. But as the door closed she lifted her head, and stared him down with a near fire in her eyes.

"Good morning Prince Lucitor. I am Helena Helion, acting master of the Helion Estate. Please, take a seat." Tom did so, straight across from her. "I apologize for a lack of hospitality, but I doubt you'll find much of interest here."

"Well, it's fine with the topics I wish to discuss."

"You wish to discuss Reign, don't you?"

"Um, well-"

"Don't act. I know whatever else you prepared was simply cover. Reign is a popular subject recently with his, engagement to Star." Tom's eyes widened considerably. "Surprised? All the strongest nobles have known and to be frank we know it won't last. The boy isn't worth an arrangement and the Butterflys will convince the Overtures to, end it. Now what are your questions. I hate beating around the bush on such old topics." Tom was not expecting such forwardness. It started to look like a trend in Gond.

"Well, Lady Helena. I want to know what isn't publicly known about him. There is so much that isn't known, and what is known seems to conflict."

"Yes. The boy is mired in mystery. And I'd prefer it stay that way."

"But I suspect you don't like the boy?"

"On the contrary, Reign is an uncrowded prince, meaning when Gorbin takes over he'll be forced to become a high noble unless the line of succession shortens considerably. And currently, he's arranged to become a Helion."

"Wait, he's going to have to join your family?"

"Not by marriage mind you. He'll merely have our authority to back him up instead of the Royal Family. This is how things go. I for one look forward to him coming here. Means I'll have someone reliable."

"So, you like him?"

"Believe it or not most of the information about him is hype from things people don't understand. The kid is smart, but I doubt the lower nobles will be happy when they hear he's over here. Even my grandfather, who is the current master, knows there will be trouble. But there's nothing they can do. And to be honest I could use the help. In case you don't know, there's only two of us in the family proper right now and we're stretched thin. We aren't failing, but we aren't exactly able to have free time. I'm marrying in a few months and while I love my future husband, I won't have time to go on a honeymoon for a while. Maybe even until Reign becomes our family." Tom just stared dumbfounded.

"I, definitely didn't expect this."

"Well, this is how it is. I'm not delusional. And among the nobles if anyone had a reason to hate him, it'd be me and Grandfather. Why I won't say even if he didn't request our silence."

"Wait, request?"

"Yes. He requested it. You see, our relationship is, weird. But his reasons were the same as mine for remaining quiet."

"But, why do people hate him so much?"

"Not my place to say. Though, I'm surprised you don't have an answer yet."

"We'll it's not like we aren't asking, but people in power don't answer, and the people without power just glare angrily or worse."

"I see, actually makes sense. They probably assume you work for him. To put it bluntly the boy isn't a threat. He genuinely would prefer to go live on a literal farm in the middle of nowhere. He's had to live his life in near constant fear of death and most of that comes from close to home."

"The Game for the Throne, right?"

"Not just that. Let's just say it isn't just the lower classes that despise him for that reason. And I bet you have a few guesses as to why, even if they're vague."

"... His father and his mysterious ability."

"Yes. Reign has survived things as a child that should kill your average adult. It's been a huge mystery and one we are very keen to dissect. Heck, I wanted to kill him at one point and used a concoction I was sure would take him down. It was after that that I truly feared him."

"Why?"

"... Ever seen a seven year old give you advice on how to poison them?" Tom went stock still.

"He was suicidal."

"IS. He has reasons to live but any long term plan he'll let go. It's the real reason he probably didn't sell out his last maid, he wanted her to succeed. Entirely because the Game is practically over and people may begin to give up."

"Wait, I thought the game never really ended?"

"Never truly does, but the rules change drastically. Once Gorbin takes the throne, that's it. He and his siblings will become almost untouchable without dealing with treason. And it's bad practice to kill the first child, but with two kids, well, there's a reason you want a good nanny."

"Nobles would manipulate them."

"Yes. The single worst Queen in our history was Queen Silesta from about seven hundred years ago. She was raised by a corrupt nobleman who later took her as his bride. This wasn't terribly uncommon, but the age gap was significant. He was over fifty years her senior." Tom practically leapt out of his seat.

"Fifty?" She motioned for him to retake his seat and he did. She glanced at a clock and looked back at him.

"Yes, fifty. This proved horrible as he took her, and died in the middle of the act. His frail body couldn't take it. But he had also made her his puppet. She had no idea how to rule and her only remaining sibling was too young to take the throne. Her father, the Ruler with the Blood, had died recently, and it was believed that damned nobleman killed him. So for three years while the new heir was trained we had to deal with someone unfit to rule. Our economy crashed so heavily we lost almost half our territory due to revolts. Even when she was gone we dealt with the disaster for the next century. Otherwise we'd probably be a lot stronger now."

"Your history has some, troubling times."

"Didn't figure that out from a 'game' involving the possible murder and rape of children?" Tom gulped. He knew history got dark when you delved down, but this was, horrid.

"Rape?"

"It's rare, but some people can't kill children, so they kidnap them and sell them into slavery. Usually doesn't work out well thanks to their abilities, but there are two known cases where an heir candidate was found years later in a sex trafficking ring."

"My god. That's still a thing?"

"Not really. It was nearly dead for the last forty years, but Reign's policies on offenders has practically eliminated it from all worries."

"... I don't understand him at all. Why does he try so hard? It sounds like he's ready to give up and die on one angle, but fighting tooth and nail the next!"

"... I don't think that's my place to say, but I can say his attitude was turned in the right direction when he was eight, and he really worked towards it when he was nine. He has his reasons, but I'm worried what happens when he doesn't have those reasons."

"... You actually like him."

"Personally I do. I'd never have married him, but the thing is, rumors are just that. Rumors."

"... Has there ever been a power to control minds?"

"There never will be. If people just read they'd know." Tom looked puzzled at het, leaving Helena a bit, peeved. "Someone didn't do enough research I see. I'll explain it quickly then as time grows short. The abilities might seem strange and amazing, but there are rules and I'll use Gorbin as an example.

First, all abilities have the same 'power'. It's like, a storage room. There's only so much 'power' you can put inside it and it limits what you can actually do with it. Gorbin for instance can't command the country with his ability as each person eats up some of his power. Second, all abilities are limited in scope. Gorbin has to be in auditory range, so a deaf person is literally immune to his ability. Third, and this is the important one, no ability may infringe on a person's right of life. He can't order someone to die, and he can't make someone change the way they think."

"So Reign literally can't be controlling people."

"Exactly. Now he could manipulate people, maybe he had a vocal power that gives him added charisma or something. However, his sleep habits don't support that. Powers like that, like Torro's, eat up a ton of stamina."

"You've looked into this."

"He's going to be my family when all is said and done, so yes, I'd like to know who I'm dealing with. But Reign's no threat. Anyone who's really talked to him notices it."

"Words to take into consideration. I hope I can talk to him before the Ball."

"Ah, the Lucitor's are invited?"

"No, we started dealing too late to join this year's. Why?"

"Word is the Butterflys will be in attendance and it's causing quite the stir."

"... Let me guess, because of eight years ago?"

"Nine soon, but yes. So long as the rumors of what you're doing are just that, I'm sure everything will come up Butterfly." Tom looked at Helena, an uninterested gaze directed right at him.

"What do you mean?"

"... We know many Lucitor rituals, and we're powerful enough to know about the engagement. We also know exactly what rituals require ingredients you've been gathering. If you are planning to do something at the Ball, rethink it now. You don't want to invoke that which you can't take back."

"What do you know abo-"

"Time's up." A loud knock was heard at the door as a butler opened the door.

"Mistress, your next meeting is in a moment."

"But we aren't done."

"Yes, we are. Take care Thomas Lucitor. And heed my warnings. I give them in genuine concern." Helena walked out, and a maid walked in as the butler left.

"Your highness, we must be away shortly. I'm sorry to say we are on a strict time scale for the foreseeable future." Tom stood there for only a moment until he nodded. He followed the maid as they retraced the earlier steps and towards the front door.

"... There's a lot going on in this kingdom, huh?"

"There always is. It's why the 'games' never end your highness." Tom left unceremoniously, the day's conversation now making him think again about his plans for the ball. Only a few short weeks and it would arrive, but he had to confirm her words, and the best place for that, was the Lucitor library.

"So, she's actually coming?" Babs looked to Reign, Gorbin by her side in the throne room. When Reign had asked for the floor she had her worries, but to see his expression solidified it.

"Yes mom. She's coming."

"Oh dear. This is looking bad. I know we said we'd announce an engagement between her and Marco, but that was with her NOT attending. If she shows up-"

"It's fine. We've got it mom. If anything happens, we're ready. We'll be prepared." Babs nodded and repeated his words, more for herself than anything else.

"We'll be prepared. We have everything under control for once. Well, everything except Desir."

"Is she alright?"

"Yes Reign. But the doctors say due to twins she's likely to give birth a bit earlier so we're on watch. She can't fully be alone anymore."

"Yes, I remember my, twins." Babs looked to her son with a sad expression, and Reign looked at Gorbin, his face devoid of emotion. "But we have a plan for that. The- oh."

"It's fine mother. I won't be missed anyway." Reign saluted towards his brother, an act Gorbin looked crushed at. "I promise you no harm shall befall Princess Desir, or her children. This I swear." Reign then turned and began to walk. "I will give a final strategy meeting for the guards then head to my quarters." He left, leaving Gorbin and Babs alone.

"I don't think he'll ever forgive me."

"It's my fault. I should have avoided the subject but-"

"None of this would be necessary if I had come to my senses sooner. It's my fault she's, dead."

"Come now Gorbin. I read every report. There was nothing you could have done."

"But there was."

"And what is that dear boy."

"... I could have not told Aria about the assassins for hire." Bab's gaze changed from that of a loving mother, to one of a queen.

"If you don't think I don't know about that, you don't know me. I know everyone involved that day. I know why he distrusts us all. I know why, I know why you did it too. Do you know why I still chose you to be the king?" Gorbin looked at his mother, her stare now icy cold. "It's because no one else has as good a reason to love Reign as you, nor to be hated by him as you."

"So, you both know."

"..." Babs looked away from Gorbin and walked towards her throne. "We both knew within the week. And he asked me to forgive you and Aria. Not because of self-worthlessness, but because we were family. And he did it all, for Tuni."

"... Then, you know all of-"

"Yes."

"... Then why did you let it happen?"

"My son, my ability allows me to peer into the future. But if I try hard enough, I can see much further ahead. I, want what's best for all of us. Including Reign. Maybe even especially him. This ball Star will be present. While I can't see the night itself, I know it'll be important. That night decides Reign's lot in life from now on. For the second time, those two children's fates shall be decided, at the Silver Bell Ball."

"So, what do I need to do again Etheria?"

"Honestly nothing. Everything is in motion and without our further influence, it's a done deal. Lor has his purpose, but that won't be until the fateful day. And then Marco will deliver to us exactly what we want."

"... I don't even know what that is."

"I'll tell you in a moment, Ponyhead."

"Thanks Mina."

"Okay you two, your parts come up after the Ball. I hope you're prepared?"

"For what Reign and Star have done, I'm all for it girl."

"And after what Star has done for me, she deserves every bit of what's comin' to her."

"Good. Then let the waiting, continue." An air of silence fell over the three women for just a moment. "Anyone got a deck of cards?"

**A/N****Well, here we are. Everything is set for a night no one will believe. We have everyone coming together, but what plans are in store? The tale is not about to end, as we shift into the single largest chapter so far. Up next, the Silver Bell Ball!****Fun fact, this is the shortest chapter to date. And yes, I am ashamed.**


	9. Silver Bell Ball

"Welcome. It's good to see you." Babs extended her hand as a large, man with blue skin and gills on his neck extended his.

"It's good to see you as well Queen Babsibarae. Do tell, is it true Queen Moon will be present this evening?"

"It is King Mondo."

"Well, hopefully this time it goes better. Last time was a disaster." King Mondo glanced over at the young man next to Babs. It was Reign, dressed in a deep blue suit with military accolades and his ranks on display, with a decorative sword placed at his side. Reign met Mondo's gaze, a cold tension brewing between them.

"I am well aware sir and I promise, it won't be happening tonight. My son has specially planned all of the routes tonight and I must say it's genius. Even my head general couldn't see a way in without setting off a wave of alarms."

"Hoho! Well if he says so, then I know I can relax. It's just a shame our species can't procreate the same way or I'd have my daughter court your son." Babs looked beside the man to see a far shorter young woman. Her light complection making her radiant next to him.

"I'm sure he'd be delighted to meet her either way."

"Indeed. Torro is a nice man." Babs flinched slightly at his words.

"Torro is already being courted, but it is Reign that is our head of security." Mono looked around a moment, then spoke to his guards.

"يقوم اثنان منكم بدوريات في طريق هروب والحارس الآخران يقفان بالقرب منك. لا أثق بالفتى." He then looked back at Babs.

"Apologies, just, giving my guard-"

"أنا أدرك جيدا." Babs said it so quietly only Mondo, his daughter, and two closest guards heard her. All four looking at her in wide-eyed amazement. She continued to stare as he turned and faced the man beside her. A young man who looked all the same.

"And good-"

"Well, it's been fun, but I must say. راحة سهلة. إذا حدث شيء ما ، فسأكون السبب." Reign was far less quiet himself causing the entirety of Mondo's six guards to hear his words. Mondo then moved onwards with his daughter towards a seating arrangement farther from the head table.

"It's such a shame. I used to respect him a lot. Especially since he's ruled for over a hundred years."

"Well as we've come to expect, some of our less, consistent members have chosen to be difficult with me. I really worry for brother when I am no longer in charge of the guard. Not that my Captain is incompetent mind you, just having two good, cooperating heads is better than one." Reign looked over the venue. It was a large, somewhat isolated ballroom specially built for this ball after the incident nine years prior. It had a high ceiling of over fifty foot, and had a large circular outer wall about two hundred feet in diameter. There were windows on every wall with ornate frames that he heard was called 'gothic' on Earth. The tables were arranged with one big table opposite the entrance and over fifty smaller ones arranged around the center, where a dance floor was prepped.

"Yes. Well, we've only a few more and I do believe them to be far, far more pleasant. Why, here comes the most surprising pair now." Reign looked over to see two people floating over.

"King Ponyhead and Princess Ponyhead! It has been far too long." Reign smiled as both the large, blue head and small blue head bowed slightly.

"It has been Prin-" Ponyhead shook herself a bit, the air of formality around her partially dissolving. "Yeah, been a while Reign. You been keeping silent on media lately. Wish you'd go back to keepin' it real."

"Well, I didn't wish to give them more reason to bash me than there already was."

"Can't blame ya there. Heard my BFF was gonna show?"

"You are correct."

"Cool. I'll have to talk to her a bit. I haven't exactly been in touch since, well, you know."

"Yes. I'm sure she'll be delighted to know you're back out in the world."

"Yeah. I hurt her pretty bad though."

"Well, from what you told me you made it right at least. And as far as I can tell, she misses you."

"Thanks homefries. Now, we gotta go to our table. Maybe we'll dance." Princess Ponyhead bowed and with her father floated off to a table near the head table.

"Well, she seems to have calmed down a lot, just like you said. I'm, honestly surprised. What happened?"

"Sorry mom, that's something you'd have to ask her. She wants to tell the story, and she's not gentle on herself."

"I see. Poor dearie. But we're almost done greeting our guests. Here comes, oh!" Reign looked down to see Helena Hellion in a nice, long black dress, with Tom Lucitor at her side. He wore a tuxedo with a red tie.

"Well, that's surprising. I thought for sure your fiance got today to come?"

"No, he did. But then he got ill. I managed to spare some time to go see him, but Tom is a future ruler and we've worked out some trade deals in recent weeks, so I invited him last second to see how our little ball goes."

"A splendid idea. Good to finally meet you as well Prince Lucitor." Babs extended a hand and Tom accepted gladly, using both of his to shake her one.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Queen Babsibarae. I can't wait to see your festivities and I hope we can join you as our own entity next time."

"We will see what the fates will, but know that it's likely it will happen. Our nation's do share some history, so I doubt we can't rebuild the bridge soon." Tom smiled as he looked to Reign.

"And you must be Prince Reign. I've heard, a lot of things about you." Tom extended a hand that Reign readily accepted, both young men smiling uneasily at the other.

"I'm sure you have Prince Thomas. I just want you to judge me on who I am, and not what others say I am."

"I know all about that. Trust me." Tom pointed to his horns and took a step back as Helena extended a hand to Reign, one he took and kissed.

"A pleasure to see you again Helena."

"And you as well Reign. I see the stresses of life haven't greyed your hair yet."

"It'll take a lot more than this to get me."

"Glad to hear it. Now come Thomas. We must find ourselves some decent seats. Remember, if they're on the periphery, they probably aren't fans of someone." Tom nodded and followed Helena, stopping only once to wave to Ponyhead who bowed in return. Then the two went back to waiting. It was still quite early but surprisingly almost everyone had shown already. Usually most waited until it was nearly time for the first dance before showing up, but now there was only a few minutes and there were still missing only a few guests. One set in particular raising major suspicions. Then, they appeared.

Moon, who was in a flowing blue dress that just barely scraped the floor. Her hair was done up in it's standard bun and her very presence radiated authority. Reign, however, could only look at the girl next to her. Star had chosen to wear her hair in a ponytail, and had worn a beautiful red dress that extended just past her knees. Her presence demanded attention for her beauty, and Reign couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Moon! So good to see you made it. And Star, I'm, surprised to say the least." Babs extended her hands and shook Moon's and then Star's with fervor. Her glowing smile betraying her feelings more than even her words.

"I wouldn't miss it." Moon, upon getting her hand back, reached into her dress and pulled out the necklace, somehow making Babs' smile grow even more.

"I'm glad."

"You both look lovely this evening." Reign fought hard to keep his position neutral as Star looked him up and down. She admitted to herself he looked pretty good in his suit, and she thoroughly enjoyed the brief moments his eyes would wander over her form. She had worked hard to adjust her old Blood Moon Ball dress for this occasion, and his clear interest made it all worthwhile. But then Reign noticed something.

"Where's Marco? I suspected he'd be one of your escorts?"

"Well, he did come, but he's decided to stay outside with the other guards. Said he didn't want to see me dancing with other people. And yes, I think he's still jealous, but at least he's trying." Babs smiled to Star and leaned in.

"Well, after tonight it won't be a problem." Star smiled at Babs as she pulled away.

"You mean-"

"Yes. So long as everything goes well tonight, it's all forgotten history."

"That's good news, right Star?"

"Yes mom. But for now, we have a ball to attend. I thank you for your efforts in this, and I hope our friendship can continue long into the future." Reign nodded and the Butterfly's left, Reign's expression doing a complete one-eighty.

"I better direct the guards to be more observant. Something feels wrong."

"Indeed. There is only one guest we're waiting on, but I see Torro making his way over. Go ahead and make your rounds." Reign bowed and walked towards one of the Royal Guard as Babs turned her attention to Torro. "Status report?"

"No signs so far. Hopefully he just disappeared and won't interfere, but I think Reign is right. I think the Duke had a hand in all this."

"Great. I should have gone with family tradition after all." Babs rubbed her brow as Torro looked disheartened.

"Don't say that mom. He's done a lot of good too. Hopefully he just wanted to escape and won't do anything."

"I know my brother better than that. He's got something planned. It could be a harmless prank, or it could be a coup. We must remain vigilant."

"Right. Oh, here comes our last guests." Babs looked over as her frown faded into a smile, her worries gone in a flash.

"Well, I'm certain no one expected the two of you."

*At the Butterfly Table*

"Is, is that Grandma Eclipsa and Globgor?" Moon turned and saw both of said figures talking to Babs. Eclipsa waa wearing a white, taught dress and Globgor was wearing an older-styled suit.

"Yes Star, it is. They got an invitation before this whole fiasco started since they now are the Multiversal Monster Representstives."

"Oh. That makes sense. And I see Reign is as dedicated as ever, doing a final patrol and check."

"Yes, he really seems to be a fine young man. Honestly if I didn't know how Marco could be, I'd be sad he's not yours."

"He's a good guy yeah, but no one can compare to my Marco. I love him." Star smiled as she looked out a window, hoping that Marco could keep himself together just one more night.

*Pssst*

Marco looked towards the sound, and saw someone who looked exactly like him hiding behind a bush. He motioned for Marco to approach and Marco did. The fake stepped out in tandem and continued on Marco's previous path, pretending for all that he was Marco.

"You here?" Marco asked in a whisper. Two pairs of eyes quickly found him as he was motioned forward. Marco did and soon found himself inside the castle.

"Finally. I apologize, I'm getting old and my ability isn't as quick as it used to be. Now, are your preparations complete?"

"They are Lor. Do you know what he's up to?"

"Not a clue. I know he isn't an idiot, but he couldn't have been this perfect without some help. I don't know if it's by his ability or what, but if your ritual works, we'll know soon enough. We just need to wait until the end."

"Why the end?"

"They're going to announce something and if we time it right, we can make the guards hesitate long enough to put your ritual on Reign. Better make it count boy. I can only give you one shot, but it'll be a good setup." Marco nodded and Lor put his hand on Marco's head. A steady stream of light pouring from him and engulfing Marco.

"I'll save you Star. You and everyone else."

"Welcome one and all to this year's Silver Bell Ball!" Babs stood up at the head of the big table. "It has been another prosperous year and I'm glad we have had the opportunity to come together once again. I've heard good tidings about many of you, the recovery of the Horshian potato fields after that nasty fungal infection, the successful rebuild of the Tema village, and the return of Globgor and Eclipsa to the monster thrones has been a blessing for us all.

There have also been some hard times unfortunately, mostly for the Kingdom of Jeral. Queen Gool died giving birth to her third child and I am so sorry for your loss. But today, we come together to remember that we are not alone. We have each other and for that we are all the stronger. So I propose a toast, to the strength that binds us!" Throughout the room glasses were raised as a small cheer went through the room. Moments later everyone took a swig as Kor stood up.

"Now it is time for all royals to meet on the dance floor for the first dance." From all over the room many stood up and made their way to the center, around twenty pairs in all. Star looked around the room and noted a lot of younger people left in their seats looking around. She realized that many of them were probably singles looking to see their fellows who weren't sitting. Star, however, rose with her mother as the two made their way to the floor and took up positions. The floor was large enough that the two of them had plenty of room, especially with so few couples. After a few minutes, the sounds of music began to fill the air and as if on autopilot Star and Moon began to dance. It was over in just a few minutes but Star barely even registered it had happened. She would have felt embarrassed but two pairs of dancers had caught her eyes. She rushed forward as one pair exited near where she and Moon had finished dancing.

"Ponyhead!"

"Sup girl. You been doing good I hope?" Star practically leapt to hug the floating head as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back to normal!"

"I was going to then I heard from Reign you were attending the ball. Wanted to surprise you girlfriend. Well, that and I'm still not, completely me. Some of it's good, yeah. But some of it just isn't me, or who I really want to be. But I'm glad you're looking good."

"Well I definitely am-"

"Attention, we will now move onto the dance of joining. If you are intending to marry within the year, or have married in the past year, please take your loved one and come to the stage." Star and Ponyhead quickly made some more space before resuming talking.

"Girl. I know it's been a long time, and I'm sorry for staying out of stuff and junk, but after what I nearly did, I had a lot of soul searching and changing to do. And now I'm ready for s test run. I'll show you the party girl you love with all the right priorities." Star smiled as she hugged Ponyhead one more time.

"Glad to hear it. I'll call you later, we have a lot to catch up on. Just, don't go gossiping on me or without me!" Star quickly walked away as Ponyhead floated there for a moment before whispering to herself.

"Bfly seems fine. Earthturd better be right about all this or I'll skewer him." As Star approached her table her heart sank to see Reign standing next to Moon.

"Reign? What's going on?"

"Well, truth be told we planned to invite Marco in to dance with you during the dance of joining, but he seems off and is avoiding line of sights to the windows."

"Meaning?"

"What we feared may be true. Just wanted to give you a heads up as I make my rounds." Reign then bowed and quickly walked off. Star now feeling that something terrible was about to happen. She looked to Moon and realized she had her poker face on and immediately put hers on as well. She couldn't afford to reveal to the wrong people she was on the lookout.

"Thank you all again for joining us this evening. As a treat, we've gone to great lengths to find a food culture otherwise unknown to us before. Earth." Star smiled as several servants entered in from behind the Overtures, carrying many covered dishes to each of the tables. "We've been thorough to ensure everyone has a food type they like." Star glanced over towards a fishman who's eyes widened at a fillet of fish with rice and crab legs that sat on his dish. As a servant suddenly produced a plate before her and another before her mother she waited in anticipation as the dish revealed a pile of burgers, fries, hotdogs, tacos, and even a few pizza slices. Moon's had a large, Caesar Salad with chicken. "Unfortunately our originally planned entertainment couldn't make it due to unforeseen circumstances, so the entertainment shall be plays performed by the Gond Performing Arts Group. So let us feast, and enjoy!"

The room immediately filled with the sound of forks and knives on plates as music began to play. Then a group came out onto the dance floor and began to set up what looked like a small play. As Star ate she realized they were a performing troupe and lost interest. All the plays were boring ones she knew from the cradle, and even Moon struggled to not be bored. But they both admitted the time in between the plays were well done. A comedy routine she actually would have preferred be the main act was among of them. Then, as the performers left the stage to a decidedly small applause, Babs stood up.

"Now is the time for the Dance of Friendship. Gorbin will need to be by his wife's side this evening, but the rest of us shall be available to dance. Please, join us." Babs stood, as did Reign, Torro, Kor, Aria, and Petunia. When Star finally saw Petunia her immediate reaction was to coo over the girl. She wore a nice, flowery, orange dress with a flowing skirt, and a matching, orange flower in her hair. But then she noticed Petunia had again hidden her tail as a belt and her ears were hidden beneath her hair. She resolved to dance with the girl when the lines began to form. To her shock there were almost twenty boys between eight and eighteen lined up to dance with her, and she knew that joining it wouldn't be a good idea. Torro had surprisingly deep line as well, with twelve dancers. Aria had seventeen, and both Babs and Kor had twelve each. Then Reign shocked her. There were only three lined up to dance with him. Helena, Ponyhead, and a regal looking girl. Star realized soon after that unless she danced with Reign, she wasn't dancing due to the sheer numbers, and she knew that dancing was part of the best case scenario. So as Reign took Helena's hand and the two walked to the dance floor, Star hopped in behind the strange girl.

"Oh? I never expected the Princess of Mewni to hop in this line. A pleasure to meet you. I am Lady Averdere. My father is a Duke here."

"I am Star Butterfly, but for now, please, call me Star. What's your first name?"

"Oh, my apologies. My first name actually IS Lady. I sometimes forget not everyone knows."

"Huh, that's confusing, but okay Lady, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The two girls shook hands as Ponyhead turned around.

"Yeah, Lady's cool though. Reign saved her betrothed a few years back and she's been grateful ever since."

"Yes. He saved my betrothed's life and while he obtained the title of Commander for it, I still feel he deserves so much more. He nearly died that day after what he did and he deserves recognition for it."

"He deserved to die." Star looked around unable to see source of the male voice, but the girl barely flinched.

"Don't mind him. That's one of the 'gentlemen' in Petunia's line. He's just jealous because if my betrothed had died he would have had me."

"Whatever." Star pinpointed the man with the comment. He was definitely overweight and smelled rather badly. She felt sorry for Petunia as he was next in line as Petunia approached. "At least this girl has class unlike some half-blooded freak who deserves her lot in life." Petunia glanced up at the man whose hands she nearly grabbed and pulled back. He looked puzzled until her ears folded out and her tail went free. He gasped as he stumbled backwards.

"Half-" A guard was holding him up in an instant, everyone's eyes looking now at the small scene. Reign smiled as he approached the scene, a smile that felt all too forced.

"Well Lord Dola. It seems you aren't quite feeling well. Thank you for noticing Princess Butterfly, and I'm sorry my sister, Princess Petunia, daughter of Queen Babsibarae and King Kor'teh, won't be dancing with you this evening. Sir Lorence, please see Dola to his seat and make sure he doesn't get up, unnecessarily. Don't want him to hurt himself due to his current health." Star was amazed as the guard effortlessly walked the large man towards his seat, the ones lined up murmuring their displeasure at his actions as Babs quietly interjected.

"The boy has some mental deficiencies and I apologize for his comments. Normally he can control himself better but he must be having an off day. And this isn't a cover. He really does have a problem." The crowd dropped it as they returned to awaiting their turns. Star turned to Lady to notice a pair of ears on her head as well.

"We aren't that dissimilar after all, though I must say, what made you pick Reign's line?"

"Oh, it was the shortest line and since this is our first time back in years I didn't want to miss out on a chance to show our relations have returned to the friendship our nation's once had." The girl smiled as she responded, Ponyhead exiting the dance floor as Reign approached them.

"Guess you don't remember what happened nine years ago after all, Starry." A series of flashes went through Star's head as Reign took Lady to the dance floor, a memory stirring of her dancing with the boy back then in the same way suddenly going through her head. As Reign and Lady danced, Star stopped seeing them, and instead saw smaller versions of herself and Reign, dancing without a care in the world. She couldn't see anything as she felt, dizzy. Then a voice called out.

"Are you alright?" Star snapped out of it to see Reign looking at her worried.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just, do you remember the Relian Waltz?" Reign's eyes practically screamed as he broke into a cold sweat.

"I'm unfamiliar. Would you care for another waltz?"

"... Ballroom." Reign smiled as the terror left his eyes, but as she took his hand she could feel him trembling. His poker face had improved, but he was still unable to hide from her senses. The dance was rigid and cold, and it couldn't have ended sooner as Reign bowed to her. She curtsied and headed for her place among the tables when she noticed her own mother dancing with Babs. The two were in perfect synch and seemed to be discussing something. Meanwhile, Reign was on the other side of the room, talking to a few guards. She sighed as she waited, her mother going around socializing after the incident when of all people, Tom arrived before her.

"Hi Starship."

"Hey Tom. How's it going?"

"Better for me than you. As a 'plus one' I'm not really expected to dance. You gonna be okay?"

"Do you know anything about the Ball eight, well, nine years ago?"

"Yeah." Star shot him a killing look. "It's not much, only thing I know more than you probably do is whatever happened caused this place to get built. And that is apparently all that's ever been discussed." Star stared Tom down, her ire being directly placed upon him, but Tom didn't budge.

"Fine. But what could-" another flash went through her head, this time it hurt. It was a single flash, and a single sound, a girl screaming, a baby crying, and a boy yelling.

"You okay?" Star looked up, she had slumped down and was holding her head.

"Yeah. Just a small headache."

"Oh, gotcha. I'll go ahead and leave ya alone then. See ya Starship." Tom hurried away and while Star wanted to correct him, she felt it better to leave that one alone for now. She watched as everyone continued to dance for nearly a half-hour as things wound down, and finally they moved onto the next event. Babs stood in the center of the dance floor, all eyes upon her.

"Greetings one and all once again. I'm glad we've enjoyed the evening so far as we move onto several announcements and to put forth some of our goals for the next year. As you know we usually help a small kingdom out and this year will be no exception. It's the old monster kingdom centered around the Monster Temple. We plan to assist in their development and as a result have reacquainted ourselves with the Butterfly family. I am happy to announce we will again be working together towards a common goal. Onto other news-" A scream from the table behind her derailed her as all eyes shifted to Desir. Gorbin took hold of her hand as Aria stood up.

"Her water's broken!" As if on queue four soldiers entered from the back and Reign stood up and besides his sister-in-law. But as he went to give out orders, one of the guards put a palm to his head. Out in the audience Tom's eyes went wide.

"No, Marco!" Torro, meanwhile saw through what was happening and leapt at the soldier, the illusion disappearing as Star rose to her feet.

"Marco?" Moon wasn't far behind as the two ran towards the stage, Marco easily getting Torro off as Reign grabbed his head and Gorbin readied his sword as he stood between his wife and the unknown assailants. "Marco, what the hell are you-"

"Proving the truth. That's an ancient ritual to force the deepest secret someone keeps out into the open as if using the all-seeing-eye." A few cheers erupted from the audience as wisps of demon magic began to encircle Reign. He took one look at Marco, but it wasn't the anger or glee he was expecting. It was disappointment. Marco looked up as an image and voice began to play.

_'So my son, do you like Star?'_ Marco suddenly felt the world shift away. A sudden realization that hit him, Star, Tom, and a few others in the room with sheer dread.

_'Yes mommy. She's really pretty and really nice.'_

_'Well, what if I told you that the two of you could be arranged. Her mother and I agreed to wed our children one day and if you really like her after all of this, maybe I could, make that happen.'_ The image shimmered and shifted to the two queens talking, and as it cleared up, the words issued forth from Moon's mouth.

'_Then it is agreed. Our children shall marry when they come of age._' The image faded as the room came to the same conclusion. The first to speak, was Reign, in a silent word to Marco.

"Good job Marco. You just failed your princess the only way possible. You did something." The words were so quiet only a few besides the two of them heard, but no response could be made as the audience roared in cheers.

"Congratulations Star and Reign!"

"I love a good love story!"

"Cheers to the new couple!"

The cheers went on and on as Reign got to his feet, the other three guards looking puzzled as they pointed their weapons at Marco, awaiting the word.

"Get the captain down here. Now. Also, I need escorts for Desir, Gorbin can scissor to the location and trust whatever Gorbin says. Also, escort Marco to a VIP room. I have a lot of fixing to do now since I just got engaged." Marco went on like a fish out of water as he was dragged away, the cheers dropping as they began to question what just happened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to-"

"Let the newly engaged couple give the speech!" Babs stopped cold as the crowd began to ask for Star and Reign to speak. Reign looked to Star and saw a shell of a woman. Looking to Moon he quickly came up with a plan. It was quick, dirty, and was riding the mood, but he didn't have time or options. He looked to Aria and without a word she got up and helped Star to her seat again, pulling a fan out of her belt to fan the poor girl as her mother stood beside her, speechless. Reign quickly made his way to his mother, and as quickly and quietly as possible, discussed what they could.

"Done deal?"

"Done deal."

"Escape?"

"No."

"Damage control?"

"Affirmative." Reign sighed as he stood up tall, his most powerful poker face on as he smiled gently to the audience.

"Well, that was far more exciting than planned. You see, we planned to announce this towards the end, but I guess the unexpected moment of childbirth caused some mixed signals. That also went quite differently than I thought it would. For the record, that was the legendary Marco Diaz everyone. So thorough he used an ancient ritual to display it to everyone. Give a round of applause everyone." As Marco was dragged on down some stairs towards the castle, he heard cheers of his name. The small hope it started was killed as he realized they were cheering him on, for bringing the relationship to their attention. As he was on his way down he spotted Lor and Etheria, both raising a wine glass at him. He knew saying anything wouldn't work, and remained silent as the weight of his actions slowly crushed him.

"Now then, I'm afraid the improv seems to have been a bit much for Star, and with the future queen giving birth I must be by her side. So I'm afraid-"

"Oh giving birth ain't nothin' the Crown Prince can't already help her with. Stay and dance! We know the legends, Star will be right as Reign to dance in a moment!" The crowd laughed and cheered.

"Let them lead the 'Dance of Intent'!"

"Yeah, pair up and let's dance!" A few of the younger folk got together as reluctantly Babs stepped off the stage. She approached Star and held out her hand, tears flowing from her face. Star felt the tears building, but accepted the hand, knowing full well this wasn't going away now. She was lead through the gathered group as many gathered around, awaiting the couple to dance. Star reluctantly grabbed his hands as a slow waltz started. A romantic one at that. Star didn't even realize she had started dancing as her tail hung limply on the floor, and as she finally broke down and cried into him, the scene from the outside looked like a fairytale ending, of a bride so happy, she cried.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Star blared at Marco. He didn't respond, nor did she expect him to. She knew how he was, he was more torn about this than she was since he had been proven the fool. "The answer is you weren't. You could have done this in private but no, you had to make him the fool. You had to destroy him. Well look where we are now. I am now engaged to him with no way out, and it's your fault! And don't think I won't get Tom for this one!"

"It's only me. Tom backed out two weeks ago. I had to finish the prep work myself "

"And you think that makes it better? He still knew and said nothing. He could have stopped you, and did nothing. Not to mention you actively ATTACKED Reign! How was that supposed to help if you were anything but 100% correct!"

"I-I-"

"No. No excuses. It's over Marco. In the most definitive form it's over. Every kingdom will know by morning. It's pointless for me to be with you as now, I'm bound to this marriage. I couldn't even say I don't accept because you showed my Mom AGREEING. I wanted to be with you so badly. And I didn't even learn anything from all this. This has been a disaster. And I still have screams echoing in my head from a flash about nine years ago."

"... Marco, I'm going to tell you a story." Everyone looked to Reign as his cold lifeless eyes looked forward.

"Reign?"

"Some years ago at a ball for everyone important, a little boy who gave up on life stood, holding his half-blood little sister in his arms. He was only there for his mother and he was planning a disappearing act from the world. But then his mother introduced him to a girl. She too was of mixed blood. The boy was instantly smitten, but he knew how it would turn out. How others always turned out. But he couldn't hide his feelings as he greeted her. The girl clearly was interested too and with their parent's blessing they ran off to play, all three of them."

"Reign, that's enough." Babs said, her words cold and demanding. But Reign didn't have any reason to cease, not from her. But before he could start again the entire room flashed. "What the-" Then the room and everyone in it disappeared. Star was in the darkness as slowly the world around her filled in. It was a place she recognized instantly. Overture Castle.

_'It's a pretty castle mommy, but do I have to go?'_ Star looked at the noise and spotted two very familiar characters.

"Mom? And, is that me?!" She ran forward, but as she reached Moon she went right through the woman. She crashed onto the ground with a thud, but she didn't feel it. "What the- Oh. This must be a dream. Or, maybe my memory replaying in my head."

_'Yes my little Starlight. Babs is a good friend of mine and your father's. She has a son your age and a daughter born just a few months prior. I promise you, he won't be like the others have been.'_

'_Are you sure momma?'_

_'Of course. Between you and me, his little sister is just like you.' Little Star gasped as her eyes lit up and her tail began to sway. The two walked hand in hand forward as from the castle, her dad emerged._

_'Oh good. I was worried they had delayed you. Come on my little Monstar, let's go meet a new friend.' Little Star ran up to her dad and hugged him deeply around his neck as he picked her up. 'That's my girl.' He used his free arm to grab Moon's and together they entered the castle._

Through a few hallways they went with Star right behind the trio as they took several turns towards a smaller ballroom filled to the brim with people. The decorations were the same, but as Star looked around, she realized most of the faces were blank, but gave off a menacing feeling. Looking down she saw her younger self cowering into Toffee's neck.

_'It's okay little one. Mommy and daddy are here. As is your new friend.' Toffee leaned down, letting go of Moon as he set Star down. She looked up to see Babs, with a young boy holding a baby in a blanket, the barest tufts of ears poking off the baby's head._

_'Hello Babs. So good to see you. And this must be Reign!' Moon leaned down as the boy looked like he was about to wet himself in terror._

_'Don't fret Reign. Moon is a friend. She won't harm you. I promise.' Reign looked between the women before doing a small bow. Probably limited not only by the girl on his arms, but his own fears. 'And this must be Star! Oh she's so cute. How are you Star?' Little Star stayed behind Moon's dress, but as she looked at the boy something changed. Star felt less frightened and more, interested, as did the boy. Moments passed in abated silence. Then the blanket, and the baby inside stirred slightly._

_The little one's hands reached out for the boy, but he didn't respond. He simply stared on in awe at Star. Moments of silence passed before he made his move, a small bow during which the little one looked at Star quizzically. As the boy returned to his stance, Star returned the favor with a curtsie. A moment later and the boy spoke._

_'It's a pleasure to, to meet you. Princess Butterfly.' The nervous tone combined with his bashful stare elicited a blush from Star, slowly culminating in her own response._

_'And, you as well, Third Prince Overture.'_

_'P-p-please. C-c-call m-me Reign.' The young Reign fought hard to contain his smile as he began to blush. Seeing this made Star blush even harder. _The older Star began to blush as she recalled this once again. It was now far more embarrassing to know he was now going to marry her.

_'Th-then please. C-call me Star.' The adults began to sigh in relief, with Moon bending down with a smile as she looked to Little Star._

_'Why don't you and your new friend get acquainted?' She winked and Little Star smiled as she reached out her clawed hand. She waited for a moment as doubt began to enter her heart. But as she was about to pull back, the boy shifted the bundled girl to hold her with one hand, using the other to grab hers. Little Star smiled as the three of them disappeared from the crowd and went towards a glass door towards a grassy area._

Star herself was pulled with them as she heard her parents and Babs talk excitedly behind her, but all that fades away as they reached a glass door, a butler opening it for them to leave. _Almost immediately Star let go and began to prance around for a moment before returning to the boy, a lot closer than before. _

_'So tell me. How old are you? What's your favorite color? What's your hobby? If you could be anything other than a prince, what would it be?' The boy stared blankly for a moment until the baby in his arm booped his chin, forcing him from his stupor._

_'Uh, I'm nine. My favorite color is green, but I like black a lot as well. I don't have a hobby, and if I could be anything, it'd be someone else.'_

_'Wow, wasn't expecting that. Why'd you want to be someone else?'_

_'I'm nothing special. I'm just, the boy no one likes.'_

_'... I like you.' Reign looked at little Star as a smile slowly formed on his face. It lasted only a moment. But the occasional twitch if his lips showed it was a poor facade, one Star's own feeling a drive her to try and break. She smiled confidently as she began to talk with him. Turned out he was born a few months prior and as the two compared their lives, a small connection was born between them._

_They were both hated for their fathers, they were both under threat from supposed allies, they both wanted to make the world so much better. Both had courters who had ulterior motives, both had fallen for them, and both were incredibly, undeniably, lonely. But as it turned out, they had a friend in common, Princess Ponyhead. The two made a pact to meet up with their mutual friend one day, the two forming a precarious friendship in moments as kids are want to do._

_As music began to play in the background, the two unconsciously began a small little dance. Little Star would bounce one way and Reign would bounce the other. When she took a step forward he took a step forward. When she did a twirl, he did a small jig. The baby in his arms giggling as the two slowly came together. When they were close enough they joined hands around the baby, much to her approval as they also grabbed the other. It was an uncoordinated mess, but between the three of them, it worked. They were laughing and just having fun, the music forgotten as they simply moved themselves._

_For five minutes they danced, and as it went on they slowed down, only to stare at one another. Neither had ever known another who felt the same loneliness. Who had felt the same betrayals and pains. But though they were different, they knew they were also the same. Suddenly, they moved in synch. It lasted only a moment, but they had kissed. A single moment where the two became one. As they retreated, their faces blushing, Little Star spoke._

_'Again?' The boy's blush deepened as he leaned forward. She moved in synch as a voice called out._

_'Kids?' The two quickly parted as Babs came into view. 'There you are. It's time to eat little ones. You can play some more afterwords.' The two looked sadly at each other as Moon arrived. She quickly picked up her daughter, and spoke._

_'I'm so happy you're having fun with your new friend Star, but like Babs said it's time for food. And of course you two can play some more.' Star smiled and waved to the boy._

_'Let's meet up after dinner here!' The boy smiled and waved back._

_'Yeah!' Both mothers giggled as their children clearly were inseparable already. A spark of hope in both their eyes. _As little Star was taken away Star noticed Babs and Reign talking. From the looks of it, this was when the first image was shown at the Ball. Where Babs told Reign about the marriage agreement. She was summarily pulled along with her younger self as her mother walked towards the door.

_'You know Star, a long time ago Babs and me talked about uniting our families. That means marriage. And, if you want, in the future, you can marry Reign. How does that sound?'_

_'Would that make us like you and daddy?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'Then of course!'_

_'Hoho. Such conviction! Well, we'll make sure you two can continue to meet like this and in a few years time if you feel the same, we'll arrange it.' Little Star practically squealed as they entered the building, then the smell of food hit her. _But the scene soon shifted. Dinner was not well remembered apparently as the scene shifted again, back outside. Little Star had just the barest stain on her dress and she was frantically trying to remove it. Then the boy appeared with the little girl in hand.

_'I'm here!' Little Star turned around and blushed as she desperately tried to hide the small stain._

_'Oh, uh, hey.'_

_'Oh no!' Little Star felt her heart drop. He was going to tell her she had bad manners and that ve hated girls with bad manners, and she'd lose another- 'You've got a stain on your pretty dress! I know a way to get it out though. One moment.' Little Star stared stunned at the boy who now had clearly become the target of her affections. He pulled out of his pocket a small vial and presented it to her along with a small handkerchief. 'This will get it right out. Hurry before it stains!' Little Star smiled as she grabbed it, her tail beginning to sway rapidly as the stuff did it, removing the stain in an instant._

_'Thank you.' Little Star said with a blush as she returned the items with a smile. His face lit up as well as he gazed into her eyes, the boy unknowingly dropping the vial on the ground at his feet. He felt words choke in his throat as he clearly wanted to continue from earlier, but Star had a different question buzzing in her mind. 'Reign, does me being a monster not, disturb you?' Reign cocked his head to the side as Little Star looked at him worriedly._

_'Why would it? You're just a normal girl, aren't you?" Star smiled widely as she reached out her hand, Reign immediately grabbing at it as the two began to run around again. Soon they came to a fountain, not a soul around to be seen. They sat down, having worn themselves out from playing so long. Baby Petunia had started to fall asleep, and now Star was holding her, Reign admiring the scene in awe._

_'You know, you're the first boy I've met who not only treats me like a girl, but cares for monsters like me.'_

_'Well, I-'_

_'And it gives me hope. Hope that in the future, perhaps all children like me can have a normal life. I've been working hard at it, and knowing that kids like you are around gives me the courage to keep going. I'm going to rule one day, and when I do, I'll make it so that people like me and this little one can live happy, safe lives! You'll help me too, right Reign?' The boy hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. The mood felt right again as the two came eye to eye. Slowly they leaned forward, a lot slower than the last time as their eyes slowly closed, but as they got close, Little Star felt something in her throat and she began to cough._

_'Oh! Do you want a drink?' Little Star nodded as he got off his seat. She was a little sad their second kiss didn't happen, but being pampered by the boy felt, nice. 'Take care of Tuni and I'll be right back!' Star nodded again as she tightened her hold of the little girl who cooed in her sleep. Little Star looked down at the baby as Reign left, and smiled._

_'You have a wonderful brother, Petunia.' _Star watched on at the scene, and as it went on a sense of dread overtook her. So far this had been a fairytale, with the girl meeting her fated prince. She began to wonder what ruined it all when she heard a bush shake nearby. Her younger self stopped playing and looked to the side as a large man walked out. The man sent a spark of fear into Star as her younger self watched on in worry. Then he spoke in a deep voice.

_'Finally found a pair of mistakes. I'll end you and watch those whores squirm!' Little Star screeched, but her own panic meant it was so soft as to be a whimper, and the man blocked the route towards the door of the ballroom as he pulled out a sick blade. 'I'll enjoy you little girl. Septarians are known for regeneration, I wonder how long it will be before your body gives out.' Star began to run as she heard the steps behind her. _Star noted that the man could have easily caught them, but looking around she realized why. Little Star was running off towards a blind spot for the party goers, off in a corner unlike the courtyard she was just at. She was running into a trap. _'Gotcha.' The man grabbed Little Star's tail as she got about halfway between two windows, well hidden by a large walled surface. The man raised the weapon and aimed it at her. 'It's too bad. If you were older, I'd let you-'_

_'Leave her alone!' A small voice called out as the man let go of Little Star's tail. Before he could do more Reign was upon the man's back, quickly grabbing at the man's throat. The man, sensing what was going on reached back and grabbed the boy by his neck and easily tossed him to the ground before him._

_'Die with the whore's then, blood traitor!' The man lifted his blade and stabbed Reign in the chest, hard. The sight finally broke Star out of her anxiety as she screamed, joining Reign's yell of pain and Petunia's shriek of fear. Then the wall exploded. The man was thrown back as Moon walked over in her Butterfly form. He didn't get a word as he was encased in magic. Moon looked over to see her daughter in distress and followed her gaze to Reign, his body unmoving with the blade in his chest. To her, there was no surviving that. So she went to her daughter to comfort her, never noticing the boy's moving chest or his labored breaths. As Babs finally followed she shrieked at the sight of Reign's body. Moon saw Toffee and Kor follow. In an instant she made her choice. She grabbed Star and Petunia and flew over to Kor and Toffee. She whispered a quick apology as Babs shouted for help. Quickly Moon gave Kor Petunia and made a portal through which she dragged Toffee and Little Star._

The scenery immediately changed to the Butterfly Castle as Moon broke down crying. Star watched as her younger self started to glow and watched a spell wash over her. Star watched as the scene faded away with her mother and Toffee dashing towards her younger self, fear in their eyes. The scene reappeared as Moon woke up Little Star, asking her if she remembered what happened yesterday. Star couldn't hear the response, but Moon's relief was clear as day. Then she heard some echoing voices.

"Star!" Suddenly the scene faded into a bright light as she bolted upright, colliding with her mother as everyone looked at her in worry. Star's eyes looked over to Reign as he continued to look worried. She knew he had just called to her. He was like that.

"... How did you survive?" His eyes glazed over in sorrow as he responded.

"Sheer luck. My ability wasn't awake back then and didn't awake for another year. I got immensely lucky that his blade missed eviscerating every vital organ. Don't get me wrong, I nearly died, but the only way to improve my odds, left." Reign glanced at Moon who was still in tears.

"It's my biggest regret. I acted out of fear for my family who was safe, and neglected my dearest friend in her moment of need."

"I believed you'd return. I was so confident you'd return I told everyone to stay away until either the medical team arrived, or you arrived. It nearly cost Reign his life. I was so crushed I cut off all contact with Moon. I didn't know until recently about Star's magic activating and her subsequent collapse. It, explained a bit."

"And while I did make it back, I wasn't welcome in the castle due to Moonpie's actions and the high alert of the castle. It was years before I regained King Kor's trust enough to even help him out with a diplomatic meeting that nearly ended in war."

"And when I awoke mom hid the detail of Moon leaving for years. I was originally told it was dangerous to meet so I began to work on making things, less dangerous. I remembered the man's motivations and worked on better protecting people. In the end, I became Commander of the Royal Guard through a combination of my ideals, the works I had done for equality, and a few deeds, including my near self-sacrifice."

"And I forgot it all and lost the first love I ever had." The room went silent as Marco, tied up in a corner, silently cried. "I, think we need to talk."

"Of course swee-"

"Just me, Reign, and Marco." The group looked at each other in worry. "It's okay. I'm not going to kill Marco. But, now I know why I can't run anymore from this wedding. Please. I, want to clear the bad air before I lose someone else I care about." Reluctantly, Moon, Toffee, and Babs exited the room. As the door closed Star patted the bed she'd been lying on. As Reign moved to sit, she noticed she was in one of the marginally furnished rooms. All it had was a bed, an armoire, a closet, and a balcony.

"I'm, sorry I made you remember. I lost myself in the moment and-"

"Don't apologize. I'm, glad to know. You were willing to risk yourself for me, I can focus on that. You're alive after all."

"I'm so sorry." Star looked over to Marco, his form practically drenched in sorrow.

"I know Marco. You were deceived. Reign was never a bad guy. He was always on our side. But you got close to those who distrusted him and got devoured. It happens. And now, we live with the consequences. Marco, I'll give you one of two options right now. And you have to choose now. Either be my friend, and my knight, which means standing by my side even as I marry Reign, or leave without hard feelings. This is your only chance. Now choose." Reign looked between the two, but before he could try and give space star curled her tail around his arm, effectively locking him in place. Marco dipped his head down as he spoke.

"That's a silly question Star. Before everything, you're my best friend. I'm going to look for a way to end this arrangement, but no more by myself, and if I fail, I have no one but myself to blame. I messed up. I didn't trust my friends, and it cost me you. But I won't give up on this, but only if you allow me. If you want this marriage I won't waste my time with that and work as your guard, I'll start dating other girls and try to find my own happiness, all I need, is your word." Star smiled at Marco as she stood up, using her tail to signal Reign to remain seated.

"I don't mind this wedding, and I accept your proposal to look for a way around it, but we must try and preserve Reign's life as well. It would be unfair to ruin him for this. So please, Marco, let's team up again, and be honest with one another. Even if it means now, we have to say goodbye to being lovers." Tears were streaming down Star's face as Marco repositioned himself on the floor. He wanted to kneel, but realizing he couldn't, he sighed and looked up at Star, his determination flowing freely.

"I'll follow you Star, even if it means never being able to call you mine. I swear it." Star let go of Reign and ran forward, picking Marco off the floor and crying on his shoulder. "And Reign, I'm sorry." Reign smiled, but even to Marco, it felt hollow.

"At least this time you mean it. But, well, this can probably never get fixed without drastic measures." His false smile fell away as he looked towards a blank spot on one of the walls.

"What do you mean?"

"... At this point, I'd probably have to become a criminal and be executed or exiled to get out of this." Star let go of Marco, causing the boy to fall and hit his head.

"No, we will either find another way, or you will be the king of my kingdom. You've suffered enough for us, some of which was by our own hands. We may be stuck together, but we can still enjoy it!" Star smiled at Reign whole heartedly. A sight that brought tears to his eyes. "In the meantime, I think everyone expects us to, begin acting like a married couple. But I ask you wait on my purity, after all, we don't know what the future might bring." The surprisingly sing-song words caused Reign to smile, she was taking it far better than he ever dreamed.

"Okay, I promise to not seduce you that much."

"I'll hold you to it Reign. If my bestie walks down the aisle pregnant, I'll hit you good." Marco chuckled and finally, finally, it felt right. A moment where everyone was in agreement, and being honest. Star used her magic to open the door as the adults filtered back in.

"We've worked it out for now. We're not going to stop trying to annul this, but we aren't sacrificing anyone to do so. And if we fail, oh well. At least I'll be marrying someone who cares about me." Star's confident grin relieved everyone a bit as they turned to Marco.

"And for the young knight?"

"Obviously he'll have his title-"

"Remain."

"Reign?"

"Sorry Queen Moon." Reign got off the bed and knelt before Moon, a gesture she recognized instantly. "But Marco was a pawn in a scheme. His punishment should exist, but separating him from Star permanently would be an error. We've worked out our standing and are ready to move on. Of course his ultimate fate is in your hands, but please, consider my words, there is no better ally for Star, than Marco. " Reign kept his head lowered and Moon was left speechless. Luckily for her, Toffee wasn't.

"I'm rather surprised you would forgive him so easily."

"Who said this is easy? Truth be told, I want to hurt him for what he's done, but on multiple levels that's not a good idea. He's well known for being Star's best friend, disappearing isn't an option. Too many questions would be asked and someone would find the truth. From both a logical standpoint, and a reasonable standpoint, forgiving him is the best option for now. Emotionally, well, I do say he has to be punished." Reign still hadn't lifted his head, but it wasn't anger that shown through his words, but sorrow.

"You never wanted this."

"... It feels like I'm raping Star."

"Then you're as good a man as she needs in her life. Very well. We shall punish Marco for his misdeeds, but for now he shall remain at Star's side. Unfortunately, we will have to progress the relationship between you and Star. Meaning visits, dates, and as much as I don't like it, sharing a room. I trust you won't do anything foolish."

"Yes sir."

"Good. This sadly starts tonight. Your act was good, but it only saved Marco. Please, be respectful of our daughter." Toffee put his hands on Moon as she cried. Babs put a hand on her arm as well, and looked to the couple.

"He's not wrong. I do apologize Star, but if the help were to stumble in and find you separated from Reign, well, they'd spread rumors about trouble."

"I know. And I also know your son won't do anything without my consent. He's always been a nice guy."

"Yeah. I may have lost my way, but if this was his biggest secret, I know I have nothing to fear anymore. I'll take my punishment knowing that at the least, Star is in safe hands." Star and Reign smiled as the air in the room cleared.

"Indeed. Now, let's remove the ropes, dragging Marco out of here would draw suspicion, but I will have several tasks lined up for you Marco. Be prepared." Marco was freed and he saluted Toffee. A moment later and he produced his scissors to Toffee who pushed them back. "Keep them. You may need them to get out alive and I for one still don't want you dead." Marco nodded as he cut open a portal. In mere moments the two of them were gone as Moon looked at Reign in the eyes.

"You mistreat my daughter, and I will end you." She turned to Babs and smiled. "And to you a good evening."

"Of course Moon. Just, if my son mistreats your daughter, let me get a few licks in too." The women chuckled a bit before Moon stepped through the portal, it closing behind her. Babs looked to Reign in the sternest manner Star had ever seen. "I'm serious too. That girl is a treasure and I will beat you over harming her." Babs then turned around and left, leaving Reign a lot more nervous about his future.

"Oh don't worry. You won't do anything like that. Just, try not to stare too much."

"What do you- Oh. No pajamas. Right."

"Oh no. I sleep in just panties." Reign's face lit up so red Star swore she could roast marshmallows on it. She smiled a bit knowing he did see her as a pretty girl still. "And I like to be the small spoon." Reign fell backwards, hitting his head on the bed as Star giggled to herself. She enjoyed messing with Marco like this but Reign was somehow, even more pure than him. Perhaps it was all that porn on the computer Marco had. Reign awoke in moments and quickly noted he would change into his own pajamas, a move Star felt was, unsatisfying. She enjoyed Marco's warmth, but perhaps hoping for the same from Reign at this stage was pushing it. She smiled to herself as he retrieved his scissors and cut open a portal.

"Going to grab my pajamas. Also, tomorrow we can check up on Desir. And those cute little nieces of mine. Oh! While we're at it-"

"Nah, I'm good. Pajamas have always done poorly for me and, well, nighties give me bad memories." Star smiled as he nodded and walked through his portal, the vortex closing behind him. She rapidly did away with her dress, thankful he wasn't around to notice she hadn't even worn a bra. It was one of the reasons she loved that dress. Flawless support to her body, and it accentuated everything she wanted. She began to sniff the air, enjoying the scents in the moment when a startling thought hit her. Shr quickly darted for her dress again and pulled out her mirror phone, opening up the calendar.

Five weeks. Her best guesses meant in five weeks she was going to be a hormonal mess. She felt a shudder go through her when she realized it wasn't going to go as expected. She planned to offer herself to Marco, but now, Reign would have to help her. And her own eighteenth birthday wasn't that far away. It terrified her a bit to know that soon, she would be claimed, but to a small extent, she was happy. She was going to be with someone that cared. Star sighed, wishing things had gone better as she crawled into the bed, covering herself just as a portal was torn open. Reign's voice carrying through.

"Are you, ready?"

"Yes. I'm covered in bed." Star practically snickered as he entered and the portal closed behind him. He slowly got to the bed, and carefully moved the sheets up. Star had an idea and as he began to move into the bed, she leapt up and grabbed him, placing his head in between her bosom. "And now you're acquainted with them." She smiled as his face went deep red again. She actually liked the heat on her body, but she also didn't want him to pass out again. So she quickly let him go and turned around, her tail innocently passing over him sending shocks both their ways as Reign's eyes tracked down, and locked onto her form for a moment before he turned away. Star however was concerned with something else. She hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that this was a male NOT accustomed to her. Meaning he was going to have manly moments. Like this one. Her brain skipped an entire beat as she attempted to calm herself down, and it worked. Once again she lay down in the bed, covering herself.

"I apologize now on whatever state I'm in when we wake up. I really like body heat so I might be grappling you."

"Got it." His words were a lot more gentle than she had expected. She expected stuttering or the like, but he sounded almost, fine.

"Got over your embarassment?"

"A little bit. Just, know this Star. I do love you, at least as a friend. And, I want to love you more, as I did when I was a small child. So I'm going to promise you something I've never promised anyone."

"And that is?"

"... I'll live for you."

**A/N**

**Act two is now done. Marco has royally messed up, and now our girl is getting married. But on the positive side, we have some good news! We finally know what happened all those years ago. But we still have a few major questions to answer. So join me in Act 3. Coming, at some point.**

**I've already started working on Act 3 and currently. I'm writing it slightly differently. Instead of simply following Star, we'll be following multiple characters as now the story finally has it's actors on the move. We'll be following (as I've planned so far) Star/Reign, Marco/Toffee, Tom/Janna, Moon/Babs, and possibly three short (or not) characters. We'll be learning a bit more about Reign, how some events played out differently from the show, and more hints as to our last two major questions (besides how the story ends).**

**But before act 3. Comes the edits. I'll be going through all chapters and fixing any inconsistencies and misswordings as best I can. If you've spotted any errors, please let me know!**


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